BELTON, SC (WSPA) – Police have charged a 16-year-old mother and her 19-year-old boyfriend after a 15-month-old child was severely injured in Belton, early Sunday morning.
According to the Belton Police Department, officers were called to Rice Street for a report of an unresponsive child around 12:30 a.m. Sunday.
The home’s resident told officers that he and his girlfriend were in Greenville when he received a panicked call from the victim’s 16-year-old mother who was staying at his home with her boyfriend.
The resident told police that he told the mother to call 911 for help but when he arrived home a short time later discovered that she had not called 911. He then contacted dispatch for medical assistance for the child, police said.
The 15-month-old child was being treated for severe injuries to his head, face, and throat. Police said he was later transferred and is in the protective custody of the South Carolina Department of Social Services.
Investigators said the mother and boyfriend – 19-year-old Devin Michael Wayne Perry – initially denied knowing how the child was hurt but that Perry later admitted to assaulting the boy.
Belton police said officers, along with forensics units from the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office, found evidence of a violent assault in the home.
Perry and the child’s mother have both been charged with Abuse to Inflict Great Bodily Harm/Injury to a Child.
Perry is being held in the Anderson County Detention Center while the child’s mother has been taken to the Department of Juvenile Justice.
The Belton Police Department continues to investigate the case and is being assisted by the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.
LATEST HEADLINES:
