WINNESHIEK COUNTY, Iowa (KCRG) – Police arrested 30-year-old Jamie Mae Dawley on Child Endangerment charges after an investigation with DHS child protection workers determined that the child was physically being abused.
On April 10th, 2020, police received a report of a suspected case of child abuse to a 7-year-old causing bodily injury. Authorities say that the child’s biological mother became concerned after the child came home with bruising after spending the last couple of days with his biological father and stepmom.
An investigation was conducted and a DHS worker assigned to the case found that the bruising was consistent with the child’s history of being spanked, potentially with a hairbrush.
As a result of the investigation, police concluded that on April 8th Dawley was watching the child at their residence with other children present. Witnesses say that when the child did not want to eat his food, Dawley would force food into the child’s mouth causing him to gag and spit up the food. This would only add to Dawley’s frustration would then force the child to stand in the corner with his hands behind his back.
The child has a medical history of balancing problems and Dawley was aware of this.
If the child’s head hit the corner of the wall in front of him or his hands came uncrossed, a spanking would occur. The child and a witness described the number of spankings getting up between 44 and 47 respectively with a hairbrush. From there the child was sent to his room.
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