IMANI BOWERS - 17 Months - Anderson SC

An Anderson woman and her boyfriend were arrested on Thursday after
police said the woman beat her baby and stomped on the 17-month-old's
head and then denied the child immediate medical treatment.Deputies
from the Anderson County Sheriff's Office went to the AnMed Health
emergency room on Wednesday when the baby was brought in with head
trauma.Investigators said the infant was found to have numerous
skull and facial fractures, as well as burns that were inconsistent with
accidental injuries.The child's mother, 23-year-old Ebonee'
Angelica Bowers, was arrested and charged with inflicting great bodily
injury upon a child.Bowers' warrant said the mother caused that
injury upon the 17-month-old by "striking her head several times against
the floor while holding her then stomping her face several times while
wearing shoes."Investigators said Bowers' boyfriend, 22-year-old
Dametrius Wadell Freeman, who is not the child's father, was arrested
and charged with unlawful neglect of a child."The incident
happened August 3rd and they waited well over 24 hours before they
brought (her) to the hospital," said Anderson County Capt. Garland Major.The
couple lived together in an apartment in the 2100 block of South Main
Street, where the incident occurred on Tuesday, investigators said.
Neighbors said they couldn't believe the allegations."That's sad.
I didn't know the little girl was...critical," said neighbor Mary Eades.
Eades said Bowers had asked if the children could stay with her earlier in the week."I
wasn't able to keep the little girl, but Lord have mercy. I sure wish I
had. I didn't know the little girl was that bad," said Eades.Neighbors
also said they noticed burns on the infant's body, but they said Bowers
told them the little girl got the burns at daycare.Bowers' mother said
her daughter is an outstanding mother, but didn't want to comment further.Bowers
has two other children, including the injured child's twin sister and a
2-year-old boy. Neither showed signs of injury, investigators said.
They said all three children have been placed in protective custody.
The injured child was admitted to Greenville Memorial Hospital in critical condition.
Bowers and Freeman are in the Anderson County Detention Center awaiting a bond hearing.

An Anderson County mother was denied bond by a judge Friday in a case in
which deputies say she stomped upon her 17-month-old daughter causing
fractures to the face and skull.The baby, a twin that family members say is named Imani,
remains in critical condition at the hospital.Ebonee Bowers cried in court
as the judge explained the charges were too serious to set a bond.Bowers’
friends said the 23-year-old mother confessed only after they say she
was scared by investigators. Bowers alluded to her fear in court."I
really, really did not do this,” Bowers said to a judge. “This man
scared the living daylights out of me to the point where he made me say
that I did this thing and I didn't. I really, really didn't. I love my
babies more than my life itself. I would never hurt them like that.
Never."Bowers’ boyfriend, Dametrius Freeman, was also charged in the case.
Deputies accuse him of neglecting to get the baby help.
Freeman also had a bond hearing and spoke out in court."I
thought I was doing the right thing. I didn't want to see the little
baby get hurt anymore. I mean, I've never seen the baby get hurt, but I
seen she wasn't feeling good, so I told. I did everything I could do
prevent all this stuff from happening," said Freeman.Freeman’s
sister, Lameka Marina, said her brother was watching Imani when the baby
fell out of his arms. Marina said Freeman called Bowers saying she
needed to come home from work and get the baby medical attention.Deputies
said the couple waited well over 24 hours before taking the infant to
the hospital. Freeman was given a $50,000 surety bond.If convicted,
Bowers could face up to 20 years in prison.Bowers’ three children,
including Imani, are all now in protective custody, according to deputies.

Bond was denied Friday for a woman charged with abusing her 17-month-old daughter.

Ebonee Angelica Bowers, 23, has been charged with child abuse and
inflicting great bodily injury on a child. Bowers is accused of striking
her daughter’s head several times against a floor and stomping on the
child’s face while wearing shoes.

Her daughter was admitted to AnMed Health Medical Center before being transferred to Greenville Hospital System.

Bowers’ mother, Allicia Bowers, said during the Friday evening bond
hearing that she has not heard whether her granddaughter is OK. No other
family members, including Ebonee Bowers, have heard about the child’s
status since she was admitted to the hospital in critical condition
Thursday.

Allicia and Ebonee Bowers both teared up as Judge Denise Malone denied bond.

“Due to the nature of the crime you’ve been charged with,” Malone said. “I’m not going to set a bond for you.”

Malone said that Bowers could face up to 20 years in jail. Bowers said she had never been in legal trouble before.

The judge said that the next step is a preliminary hearing, at which
the arresting officer would need to prove probable cause for the arrest
or the case could be dismissed.

Bowers told the judge, over a video connection from the Anderson
County Detention Center, that she felt intimidated and that was why she
confessed to hurting her daughter. Bowers did not say who might have
intimidated her.

“I really, really did not do this,” she said tearfully. “This man, he
scared the living daylights out of me to the point where he made me say
I did these things. I didn’t. I really, really didn’t. I love my baby.”

Bowers told police that her child had fallen.

Bowers’ boyfriend, Dametrius Wadell Freeman, 22, who is not the
biological father, also was arrested Thursday on charges of unlawful
neglect of a child for not providing medical care.

The magistrate set a $50,000 surety bond for Freeman. He appeared
before the judge on the same video connection, immediately after Bowers.

Freeman’s family defended him during the bond hearing, saying that he
has two of his own children and did not allow his family members to use
mild physical punishments on their own children.

Brenda Freeman said her son had been in trouble before but “has made a great big turn in his life. He has changed.”

Dametrius Freeman told the judge over a video connection that he
never saw the baby get hurt “but she wasn’t feeling good. So I did
everything I could to prevent this from happening.”

After the bond hearing, Freeman’s family and friends stood outside
the magistrate’s building where they shared cell phone photos they said
showed burns on the child’s body, burns they said happened in late July
and said Bowers told them the burns had happened at a day care.

Bowers has two other children, a 17-month-old daughter who is the
twin of the injured child and a 2-year-old boy, neither of whom showed
signs of abuse. Both of those children have been placed into protective
custody.

A woman accused of abusing her child is headed toward a trial after a
judge upheld her arrest during a Friday preliminary hearing.

Ebonee Bowers, 23, is charged with child abuse by inflicting great bodily injury.

She appeared in General Sessions Court, tearing up and turning to
look at her family and friends as Detective Todd Owens of the Anderson
County Sheriff’s Office described the 17-month-old child’s injuries.

Owens said Bowers confessed to being frustrated, stepping on the
child’s face and shaking her. The first time detectives interviewed her,
Bowers said the child fell twice, once while her boyfriend, Dametrius
Freeman, was watching her and once while Bowers was present, according
to Owens.

Bowers’ attorney, Bruce Byrholdt, questioned Owens about Freeman’s credibility.

Freeman, 22, was arrested the same day as Bowers, Aug. 5, and he is charged with the lesser offense of child neglect.

Owens said he did have doubts about Freeman’s account of the events, specifically whether he was awake during the alleged abuse.

Bowers’ confession says Owens was awake, but he says he was asleep in
the bedroom, where the abuse happened, according to the detective.

Freeman bonded out of jail shortly after the arrest, He appeared in court Friday.

Judge Dan Sharp said he believed that Freeman was informed about his
right to have an attorney but did not actively seek one in time to have
representation at the hearing. The judge said the lack of effort meant
that he would go ahead with the hearing, with no attorney for Freeman.

Sharp also found that there was probable cause to arrest Freeman, who appeared immediately after Bowers.

No trial dates have been set for Freeman or Bowers.

Bowers was returned to the Anderson County Detention Center, where she is being held without bond.