"John Doe" - 8 yo - Westville, Laporte County (E of Gary) IN

LAPORTE — A Westville area man allegedly stuffed a boy’s dirty underwear
into his mouth then taped his mouth shut as punishment for getting
suspended from school.

Those are among the allegations of abuse leveled against David A. Brown.
Brown, 37, was arraigned Wednesday in LaPorte Circuit Court on Class D felony battery of a juvenile.

According to court documents, on Jan. 12 the 8-year-old boy’s mother heard him
crying while doing what she described as "wall sits."

Wall sits involve standing with the back against a wall and sliding down the wall
by bending at the knees until the knees are just above the feet.

The woman told police she discovered the boy with a pair of his dirty
underwear inside his mouth and his mouth taped shut with black
electrical tape wrapped completely around his head.

She also said she saw many bruises on his arms, legs and back, and a red mark on his cheek.
According to police, the red mark was from being hit in the face with a roll of electrical tape thrown by Brown.

The woman also told investigators the boy was being punished by Brown, her
live-in boyfriend, who she said was strict with the boy.

She called police and took the boy to Porter Hospital in Valparaiso, where
he was examined in the emergency room and later released, court documents revealed.

The woman told investigators her son was
being punished by Brown for being suspended from South Central School
for three days for an incident that occurred on the bus.

Brown had lived with the woman and boy for about two years, police said.

According to court documents, the woman said Brown told her he put the underwear
in the boy’s mouth and taped his mouth shut because he would not be
quiet while doing his wall sits.

Brown was allowed to remain free on the $600 bail he posted to await the outcome of the case.
He asked for a public defender, but LaPorte Circuit Court Magistrate
Jonathon Forker advised him the court’s policy is for defendants who
posted bond to use their bail money to hire their own legal counsel.

Brown then asked if he could speak with prosecutors about a plea agreement without having to hire an attorney.
‘’You should really connect with an attorney,’’ Forker said.
A hearing was scheduled for March 2 for the court to find out if Brown was able to secure legal counsel

http://www.southbendtribune.com/article/20110210/News01/110219964/-1/googleNews

Posters note: Imagine what this mother allowed her boyfriend to do to this poor child for the last 2 years!
Hey, mother's with boyfriends out there; It's not your boyfriend's place to discipline your child EVER! That's YOUR job.