ZACHARY WISE - 8 yo - Brookfield OH

A disturbing case of child abuse out of Trumbull County. A Brookfield
boy is in an Akron hospital with severe injuries after police found him
bruised and beaten at his township home Saturday.

Investigators say an 8 -year-old boy was severely beaten by his step dad, 30-year-old
Damian Wise. Wise appeared in Eastern District Court Monday morning
facing felonious assault and child endangering charges. The judge set
his bond at $250,000 on each charge.

Brookfield Police Chief Dan Faustino says this is one of the worst cases he has seen in his 24
years on the job. "Anyone who sees child abuse please call. This could
have been worse. This is very tragic," explained Faustino.

The boy is being treated for his injuries at an Akron hospital. Police say
he has bruises on his back, chest, and head. He may also have a
collapsed lung and was very dehydrated. Reports indicate the boy was
forced to wear a diaper and was left outside for the majority of the
day. The victim told police he was beaten with a bat.

Wise is due back in court Thursday. Not only will he have a preliminary hearing
at that time, he will also be sentenced on a previous domestic violence
and child endangering charge.

Neighbors of 8-year-old Zachary Wise admitted Monday they've seen
"abnormal" behavior since he and his family moved to their 5961 Everett
East Road home a few months ago.He'd wander for hours around the
fenced-in backyard, show up on his bike at their homes wanting to be
let in and sometimes had bruises.It wasn't until Saturday that someone called the police.And
when they arrived, the boy was dehydrated with bruises and sores on
almost every part of his body, a possible collapsed lung and injuries
to his throat.
His stepfather, Damion Wise, 30, was arrested on charges
of felonious assault and child endangerment after the boy said he had
shut his hand and arm in the door, hit him with a belt and baseball bat
and stuck his fingers down his throat to squeeze his uvula - just over
the past few days."This child is literally terrified of his
father and didn't say anything to anyone," said Marcia Tiger, executive
director of Trumbull County Children's Services. "It sounds like an
old-fashioned ... torturing. He's still in the hospital, but is going
to be fine - physically."Zachary is currently at Akron Children's Hospital in Akron.Police
believe he has been abused over the past one to two years, most
severely in the days leading up to Saturday. According to police
reports, the boy lives at the home with his stepfather, mother,
Celinda, and 5-month-old brother, Sebastian.Celinda Wise has not been charged. Tiger said CSB has taken custody of both children.When
police arrived Saturday, Zachary was in the backyard and had two black
eyes with facial swelling, blood in his left eye and had trouble
walking. There were patterned strike welts or bruises on his belly,
chest, abdomen, sides, underarms, feet, ankles and back along with a
large cut and bump on the back of his head.They said he held
onto the walls for support during an interview because of his feet and
head were hurting. He was wearing a child's diaper, which he told
police Wise made him wear. His lips were shriveled and cracked.Zachary
told police his dad beat him with the bat after he was supposed to hold
books over his head to "make his arms strong." "But I got tired and I
sat down, so I got beat," he said.He also told them Wise shut
his hand in the door and that he was very tan because "my mom and dad
clean and I have to just sit outside." Zachary said "He (Wise) was mad
so he put his fingers in my throat and squeezed my uvula," reports
state.When asked how he felt about his dad, he said "I'm afraid of him, he tells me he's going to kill me."According
to police reports, the boy's mother denied knowing about his injuries
and said she is not permitted to spend time with Zachary, who she said
is sent to his room right after dinner. She said Wise calls her son
names, but that she gets beaten when she tells him not to "and it's on
me again."Wise is already facing charges of domestic violence
and endangering children after a call in June to the home after a
fight. According to reports, Wise threw a brick through the car window
near their 3-month-old baby. While Tiger could not comment, Brookfield
police Chief Dan Faustino said CSB was called after that incident.Douglas
Pusateri, 6294 Everett East Road, said that in the four years he has
lived on the street, six families have lived in the Wise home. While
Pusateri, a Youngstown State University police officer, didn't know
much about the boy or his family, he said he saw police bagging
evidence Saturday.Michalina Jones lives on nearby Greensleaves
Circle with her husband, 6-year-old daughter Gabby and 7-year-old son,
Zack. She said Zachary rode his bike over to their house several times
and "always wanted to come in."She recalled an incident at her
son's recent birthday party. Zachary showed up, she said, and she told
him he'd have to come back later."He came back at 9 p.m. that
night," she said, adding he had a bruise on his nose. "He was very
friendly, he'd come over and come right up to the kids and ask them 'Do
you want to be my friends?'"Darlene Ashman, 5941 Everett East
Road, said her husband last week mentioned seeing the boy sitting in
the yard and that his "eye looked funny, something didn't seem right,"
she said, adding neighbors had seen him sit for four or five hours
"just picking his fingers, pulling grass.""We've all kind of taken a blind eye to the house and I really regret it," she said. "We all feel pretty ashamed."Faustino emphasized the importance of reporting anything suspicious when it comes to children."Our
officers went there to do a welfare check. We get those calls
frequently," he said. "We usually go out and they are unfounded. Then
you get ones like this ... where if someone had not called. It's
terrible. It could have been a lot worse had someone not reported it."Wise
was arraigned Monday on the charges and will be back in court for a
preliminary hearing Thursday, when he'll also be sentenced on the prior
charges in Eastern District Court. He is being held without bond on the
prior charges and was issued a $250,000 bond on each of the two new
charges Monday.Faustino said the case was shocking for everyone involved."(Our officers) were shaken up," he said. "The main thing is taking the two kids. We plan on keeping them out."

A Brookfield Township child is at Akron Children’s Hospital, after
police found him dehydrated with apparent broken bones, possible
internal injury, bruises and sores on his body, and injuries to his
throat.
A township man has pleaded innocent to felonious assault and child
endangering in connection with the report that he physically abused his
8-year-old stepson, Zachary Wise. The charges were filed by the
Brookfield Township Police Department
The boy told officers that Wise had shut his hand in a door, hit him
with a belt and baseball bat, and stuck fingers down his throat. Police
saw black eyes, bruises, a cut and a bump on the back of the child’s
head.
Damian Wise, 30, of 5961 Everett East Road, was arrested Saturday
afternoon. He entered the pleas in Eastern District Court here Monday
to the two felony charges. If convicted, he could face up to 16 years
in prison.
Judge Ronald Rice set bond at $250,000 on each charge and set a preliminary hearing for 10 a.m. Thursday.
A detailed police report said the boy lives at the home with his stepfather; mother, Celinda; and a 5-month-old brother.
The mother, Celinda Wise, has not been charged.
Both children are in custody of Trumbull County Children Services, police said.
Township police on Sunday afternoon said they received a call from a
concerned citizen: “She was in fear that the child would die if he was
hit in the head again.”
Officer Jay First wrote in a police narrative that he contacted the
boy’s mother at 1:48 p.m. Sunday; Zachary was playing in the back yard.
“He was observed to have two black eyes with facial swelling and blood
in his left eye. He also was found to have trouble walking. Zachary
advised that he fell on his bike.”
But as the officer spoke further with the child, he observed that
his left hand and arm were swollen. The child “advised that his
stepfather Damion Wise shut his hand and arm in the shed door yesterday
... and that yesterday he hit him with a belt.”
An ambulance arrived. The child “was found to have bruises about his
back, chest, stomach and legs. He also had a large cut and bump on the
back of his head.”
Zachary advised “that his stepdad ... hit him with little wooden bat in the back of the head yesterday.”
Another officer, Roy Anne Rudolph, wrote: “The first thing I noticed
was the facial swelling, bruising underneath both eyes, shriveled
dehydrated lips, bloody right eye and nearly swollen shut left eye. I
introduced myself and asked, ‘What are we doing guys?’ To which the
child replied, ‘We’re talking about my dad hit me with a bat on my
body.’”
Her report continues: “I asked, ‘How do you feel about your dad?’
Zachary replied, “I’m afraid of him, he tells me he’s going to kill
me.’ I asked, ‘Do you really think he’s kill you for real, or is he
maybe kidding or just saying that?’ He said in the most convincing
voice, ‘Oh, I know he’s going to kill me. He never lies.’
Wise was arrested for felonious assault. Celinda Wise allowed police to check the laundry room for the bat.
The bat was located on the top shelf in the laundry. Two belts were
also located in the main bedroom of the house hanging on the north
wall.
At Forum Health Trumbull Memorial Hospital, emergency room staff
found that the bottoms of Zachary’s feet , ankles and lower legs were
also hit with the bat. He “was also found to have a child’s diaper on
that was found to be very dirty almost black.” The child said his
stepfather makes him stay outside all day with no water.
Due to the extent of his injuries and a possible collapsed lung, the
child was transported to Akron Children Hospital for further treatment.

The police report states it’s believed that the stepfather has
beaten Zachary for the last 1-2 years. “The severe beating with the bat
had most likely occurred sometime within the last couple of days.”

A man accused of severely beating his stepson over the weekend was
indicted Wednesday on charges of felonious assault and felony child
endangering.Damion Wise, 30, will be arraigned on the charges at
1:15 p.m. today before Trumbull County Common Pleas Court Judge Peter
Kontos. The indictments were handed down in a special grand jury report
Wednesday.Wise has remained at the Trumbull County Jail on a
$500,000 bond since his arrest Saturday at his 5961 Everett East Road
home. He also is scheduled for sentencing today in Eastern District
Court in Brookfield on charges of domestic violence and child
endangering stemming from a June 20 arrest.His stepson, Zachary,
8, was released from the hospital Tuesday and is now in the custody of
the Trumbull County Children Services Bureau, along with his
5-month-old brother, Sebastian.Wise was arrested after an
anonymous caller told police she was concerned about Zachary's welfare
after seeing the boy sitting outside for most of the day Saturday and
noticing he had numerous injuries, including a black eye and a large
injury on his head.Police found the boy with two black eyes,
welts or bruises on his belly, chest, abdomen, sides, underarms, feet
and ankles and a large cut and bump on his head. He was wearing a
diaper and was dehydrated.Zachary told police his stepdad had
beat him with a small wooden bat and belt, stuck his fingers down his
throat and would force him to stay in the backyard for hours. Police
believe the boy has been abused over the past one to two years, the
most severely in the days leading up to Saturday.The charges for
which Wise is to be sentenced today stemmed from a June 20 call by his
wife, Celinda. According to police reports, the two had been fighting,
and when she tried to leave with Sebastian, he pulled her hair, put his
thumbs in her eyes and put a knife to her throat. She said he threw a
rock through the window of their vehicle while their 3-month-old was
inside.Marcia Tiger, executive director of CSB, said the agency
was not contacted by police about that incident. She said Tuesday they
had been actively involved in the case at a later point.

An 8-year-old boy who was allegedly beaten by his stepfather is now in good hands, says Trumbull County Children Services.
Marcia Tiger, executive director of Trumbull County Children Services, said she has been getting calls from
many Brookfield area residents asking if there is anything they can do
to help.
’He has been placed in a foster home, he’s getting everything he needs,’ she said. ’A couple of his neighbors got him gift cards. I think they felt guilty because they didn’t do
anything about the abuse, but there was no way they could have known it
was happening.’
Police were tipped off by an anonymous caller and they found he had been beaten severely. Police said the
boy’s stepfather had hit him with a baseball bat and had been abusing
him for some time.
Damion C. Wise, 30, of 5961 Everett East
Road, is now in Trumbull County Jail on felonious assault charges
stemming from the abuse.
Trumbull County Prosecutor Sean O’Brien called it one of the worst cases of child abuse he has ever seen.
Ms. Tiger said the boy’s birthday was a few weeks ago, and since he most likely didn’t get much, the agency s would be throwing him a party.
’When we take custody of a child, we meet all of their needs,’ she said. ’I can imagine that if people really
wanted to get him a gift card, they could, but we really don’t need
that.’
Ms. Tiger said they have a residence for more troubled children, but that this child was placed with a traditional foster home.
’If people really want to help a child like this, they can become foster parents in their own community,’ she said.
Wise will have a preliminary hearing in Trumbull County Eastern District Court this morning.