UNNAMED GIRL and 7 SIBLINGS - 9 yo and unknown (9/2014)/ Accused: Father; Elden Begay - Albuquerque NM

8 children in CYFD custody after father accused of using cattle prod to wake daughter

Updated: 09/25/2014 7:54 PM | Created: 09/25/2014 7:14 PM
By: Danielle Todesco, KOB Eyewitness News 4



Eight Albuquerque siblings are in state custody Thursday night after one of the kids, a 9-year-old girl, accused her father of shocking her with a cattle prod, and the father was in court Thursday morning.

The father, Elden Begay, is not only accused of using a cattle prod on his daughter, but on several of their puppies and older dogs.

Now, all of the kids and animals have been removed from the home before Begay can get out of jail.

According to a criminal complaint, the daughter told school officials at Kirtland Elementary that Begay used the cattle prod to wake her up for school. She said the mark from the voltage on her skin faded, but she said it "really hurt."

Begay's attorney says there's no proof.

"There were no physical injuries that would substantiate the accusations, and the other children in the home did not substantiate the accusations," Begay's lawyer said in court Thursday.

But reports say the other siblings did admit that Begay would use the prod to scare the children and hurt the dogs.

A neighbor across the streets from the Begay family said he hadn't seen the dogs at the home in a while.

"I had heard that they had their puppies taken away from abusing them a couple weeks ago," the neighbor said. "They had a couple police officers at his house; we were all kind of confused."

Begay's attorney said Thursday he strongly denies the charges, and said he and his wife are shocked that their daughter would make such horrible accusations.

"We're going to get him out of custody and he's going to have to report to CYFD and follow their program to try to find out why his child would have made a false accusation," Begay's lawyer said.

Begay's bond was lowered to $10,000 Thursday. All eight of his children are in CYFD custody, and all of the dogs were seized by animal control. He faces child abuse and extreme cruelty to animals charges.

http://www.kob.com/article/stories/s3571789.shtml#.VDLvTvldVCs