"Jane Doe" - 8 yo - Louisa (NW of Richmond) VA

Louisa VA ----
A grand jury indicted a Louisa County
couple yesterday on felony charges in the alleged torture of their
8-year-old granddaughter.
Laura Jewell, 49, and her husband, Ronald Jewell, 48, were indicted
on one count each of torture and felony child abuse. Laura Jewell faces
an additional charge of malicious wounding.
A neighbor called 911 on Thursday shortly before 3 a.m. after the
child left the home she shared with her grandparents, arrived at the
neighbor's home, and reported that she had been abused, Louisa Sheriff's
Maj. Donald A. Lowe said.
"She had bruises all over her," Lowe said. "Her ear had been
partially torn. She had blood on her."
The girl had bruises on her head, arms and legs, Lowe said. One of
her feet was broken, and some of her hair had been pulled out.
"It just looked like a lot of beatings," Lowe said. "It might have
been ongoing."
The girl was treated at University of Virginia Medical Center in
Charlottesville and released to social-services officials, Lowe said.
"This was especially shocking, what we saw," Lowe said. "And actually
pretty heartbreaking to have a child go through that -- to have to
sneak out of the house and have to report it to somebody."
Lowe declined to discuss motive in the case.
He said the girl had been living with her grandparents and some
siblings in Blue Ridge Shores, which Lowe described as a gated community
on Lake Louisa.
"The parents appear to be absent from the children's lives right
now," he said.
Lowe said none of the other children appeared to be hurt. They were
released to social-services officials.
Several neighbors declined to comment on the case yesterday. One of
them, Lynn Finn, said she was shocked when she heard the allegations.
"I knew nothing about them," Finn said, referring to the Jewells. "I
don't think many people know much about them."
Authorities arrested the Jewells on Thursday.
Ronald Jewell's attorney, John R. Maus, said yesterday that his
client became distraught during a court hearing last week.
"When he saw the pictures of the child at his bond hearing, he broke
down in tears and told the judge he had no idea that was going on," Maus
said.
Maus said Ronald Jewell had been working in the Washington area
installing or maintaining sprinkler systems. He would work nights and
sleep during the day, Maus said.
Messages left for Laura Jewell's attorney were not returned
yesterday. She faces up to 35 years in prison if convicted on all
charges. Her husband faces up to 15 years.
They are being held without bond at the Central Virginia Regional
Jail in Orange County. Arraignments are scheduled July 28.

A man accused in the alleged torture of his 8-year-old granddaughter
initially looked away when a prosecutor showed
him pictures of the girl’s severe injuries in court today.



Ronald Jewell, his voice quavering at times, testified that he had seen his wife and
codefendant, Laura Jewell, pull the girl’s hair once, but he denied having known the extent of the
youngster's severe injuries. After he testified, a judge denied his request for bond.

During today’s hearing, Louisa Commonwealth’s Attorney Thomas A.
Garrett Jr. said the child suffered a broken bone in her foot,
extensive bruising and that her ears had been pulled, "leaving open, bloody wounds and scabbing."

"Clumps of hair were missing from behind her ears," Garrett said.

Garrett confronted Jewell with a comment Garrett said the defendant made when he was arrested last week.
Garrett said Jewell made this statement, referring to the 8-year-old girl: "Bless her stupid little
heart. God, I can’t stand her."

Jewell admitted that he said, "Bless her stupid little heart," but denied the other statement.

"That second part did not come out of my mouth," Jewell testified. "I swear to God."

In denying the bond request, substitute Judge John R. Cullen
cited the seriousness of the case, which also has prompted Garrett to
seek creation of a new state law with stiffer penalties for grave acts of child abuse.

The judge said, "The court would be very concerned about the safety of the public
if Mr. Jewell were released."

Ronald Jewell, 48, and Laura Jewell, 49, each face one count of torture of a child and another count of felony
child abuse or neglect. Laura Jewell faces an additional charge of malicious wounding.

Garrett said that the injured child, who was living with the Jewells and two
other children, left their home in the Blue Ridge Shores subdivision on Lake Louisa early
Thursday morning and began banging on a neighbor’s door.

Garrett said the girl told an adult she had left home because she felt unsafe
there, and someone called 911.

Garrett said the child told authorities that Ronald Jewell "did
not do this to her, but sometimes he would watch."

Authorities have described the child as the granddaughter of both defendants. Ronald
Jewell’s attorney, John R. Maus, said today that the girl is Laura Jewell’s granddaughter and Ronald Jewell’s
step-granddaughter.

Maus said in court today that Ronald Jewell was
unable to prevent the injuries because he was working at night in the Washington area and
sleeping during the day.

"He is distraught about this, as we are," Maus said, adding. "The injuries the child has suffered are heartbreaking."

Before the judge denied the bond request, Garrett lamented that state law does not
carry a presumption of no bond for either of the two charges Ronald Jewell
faces. Such a presumption exists for other serious charges.

Garrett said after the hearing that he is working with Del. William R. Janis, R-Henrico,
to have the torture charge moved from a subsection of the state code that addresses child labor law
into the criminal section of the code. Janis could not immediately be reached for comment.

Garrett said he also hopes a new criminal charge will be created, aggravated
child neglect or aggravated torture, and that it would carry a
presumption against bond and also stiffer prison penalties. The torture
charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

For comparison, Garrett said that a charge of soliciting sex from a child online carries a
prison sentence of five to 20 years and also a presumption against bond.

"We just need to get our child abuse laws on an even parallel," Garrett said.

Laura Jewell is being held without bond. The couple both have arraignments scheduled for July 28.