RICHARD-WORKMAN Babies - Fort Smith AR

Three Fort Smith parents accused of abusing two infants pleaded not guilty to battery charges Wednesday in Sebastian County Circuit Court.

Angel Nichole Richard, 20, is charged with first-degree domestic battery in connection with injuries caused to her 2-month-old son.(...)

Melissa Ann Workman, 21, and Ricky Joe Bruner Sr., 33, are charged with first-degree battery in connection with the neglect of their 2-month-old son, which led to his becoming "seriously malnourished and dehydrated," according to a police report.


Wagoner told Circuit Court Judge Michael Fitzhugh that Richard admitted to battering her child in a manner that was consistent with his injuries.

Detective Michael McCoy, Fort Smith police, previously said Richard's son suffered two broken legs, multiple facial bruises, a brain hemorrhage and other broken bones in different stages of healing.

When police made contact with Richard, her son was bundled in a blanket in a stroller with blood coming from both nostrils and bruising on both sides of his head, according to a police report.

Richard initially told police the child was injured when she left him with Workman and Bruner, one or two days earlier.(...)

When investigators told Richard that, according to the physician treating him, her son's injuries were more than one or two days old, Richard told them she had an anger management problem and would "jerk" her son out of his crib and strike his head on the bed rail and would pick him up under his arms and shake him, according to a police report.

Workman initially insisted she fed her son every three hours, before then telling police she fed him two or three times a day and finally admitting she only fed him "once a week for a period of time," according to a police report.
The infant weighed 7.1 pounds when he was born Jan. 12, but weighed only about 6 pounds when he was hospitalized March 16, according to a police report.

Sgt. Daniel Grubbs, Fort Smith police, said officials at ACH told McCoy they anticipated releasing Richard's son to the custody of the Arkansas Department of Human Services on Wednesday, while Workman and Bruner's son would remain hospitalized until he gains more weight.