Morgan DA warns child abuse can happen in any home

For the Enquirer

A Falkville woman was charged with child abuse this past week after she allegedly beat her young son, according to a police affidavit, and Morgan County District Attorney Scott Anderson said this scenario can happen in any household.

“Child abuse doesn’t know income, doesn’t know race, doesn’t know social status,” Anderson said. “They are all over the place.” Sydney Lynn Roper, 29, was arrested Feb. 2 and charged with willful abuse of a child under 18 after the child’s father reported alleged abuse of a 7-year-old boy to the Department of Human Resources in Decatur, according to the affidavit signed by Falkville Police Cpl. James Ashley.

Ashley said the victim was interviewed by the Morgan County Child Advocacy Center and the child reported that he, his brother and Roper had gone to the Dollar Tree in Hartselle on Jan. 12 and said “he was misbe-having in the store.” “He said she was mad at him and hit him in the stomach with a closed fist,” and then drove to their Falkville residence “where she whipped him with a belt, including the belt’s metal buckle, on his buttocks and thighs.” On Jan. 16, the boy’s father picked his children up from Falkville Elementary School because of a split parental custody.

After examining his son’s bruising, the affidavit said the father filed a report with DHR and DHR took pictures of the injuries.

“They also noted that (the victim) was walking with a limp,” the affidavit said.

The father then took his son to the emergency room at Women and Children’s Hospital in Huntsville to evaluate his injuries, according to the affidavit, and after further investigation, DHR and the Child Advocacy Center determined Sydney Roper “willfully abused, cruelly beat, and maltreated her son who is under the age of 18.” Anderson defined will-ful abuse of a child under 18 – a Class C felony – as the abuse of any child under one’s care, including as a parent, guardian or teacher.

He said every child abuse case he has tried is unique, and how each case is built depends on the nature and circumstances of the abuse. He referenced a child abuse case his office reviewed this week.

“There was a law enforcement officer who showed us photographs of a child that the person responsible for them had acted in such a way that there were bruises all over their arms, their buttocks, and it was severe,” Anderson said. “There again, we’d look at how badly the child was injured, the nature and history of the abuse. We take all of that into account.” Anderson said a Class C felony in Alabama carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison but noted that penalties for child abuse cases vary based on the circumstances.

“If you’re asking me what they should get if it’s a bad enough case, they should get the max,” Anderson said. “There again, we don’t dictate the sentence after trial, the court does.” Anderson said the number of child abuse cases in Morgan County is inconsistent. “We’ll go awhile without one and then we may get several,” Anderson said. “They ebb and flow.” The way a child abuse case is initiated, Anderson said, is usually by an initial interview conducted by workers at the Child Advocacy Center, a nonprofit facility that provides a safe, child-friendly envi ronment for chil dren to undergo forensic interviews, medical exams and counseling while working with law enforcement and legal professionals.

Misty Cowger, executive director of the Child Advocacy Center, said they conduct an initial forensic interview with the child to gain as much information as possible.

“We have an interagency agreement with all Morgan County investigative agencies,” Cowger said. “A police department will get a call that says there is a potential that a child under 18 has been abused in some way. Instead of taking that kid to the police department to be interviewed, they have an agreement with us and we are trained to do that. We do those interviews while the investigators watch from another room.” Cowger said after the interview, they offer to attend court, if the child is asked to testify, to provide encouragement and support as the child takes the stand in front of attorneys and jurors. The organization has a facility dog that is allowed to attend court also and Cowger said children can pet the dog as they are testifying.

“While they are sitting up there, our dog can actually be at their feet while they’re talking and they can hold her leash and they can pet her if they need to,” Cowger said. “That’s another tool to mitigate that stress that they’re experiencing.” According to the National Children’s Alliance, 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 13 boys in the United States are estimated to experience child abuse. Cowger said over the last five years, Morgan County averaged 437 child abuse cases per year.

“Sadly, for the past eight or nine years, it’s been the same. It’s been in the 400s,” Cowger said.

Cowger said most child abuse cases in Morgan County involve sexual abuse, with the average age of victims across all types of abuse ranging from 8 to 12.