Mother Allegedly Bites Son During Physical Altercation in Trenton, NJ
Two Trenton children were recently removed from their mother’s custody after one of the children was reportedly physically abused by the mother and bitten in the leg. The incident occurred on March 9, 2017 at a residence located on the 800 block of Parkide Avenue in Trenton. According to Trenton police, cops were sent to the family’s home in response to a report that a mother and child had been involved in a physical altercation. When Trenton police officers arrived at the home, the mother was allegedly belligerent and refused to speak with law enforcement. The 14-year-old child at the scene reported that his mother had punched him in the stomach, scratched him in his chest and ankle areas, and bit him on the thigh. During the course of the police investigation, officers reportedly observed bite marks and scratch marks on the child’s body that corroborated the child abuse allegations.
The child also told Trenton NJ police officers that there he and the suspect had been involved in verbal dispute that escalated into a physical altercation. As a result of the incident, police arrested the mother and charged her with endangering the welfare of a child and criminal restraint. Additionally, the Division of Child Protection and Permanency (“DCP&P”), formerly known as the Division of Youth and Family Services (“DYFS”), responded to the scene and removed the 14-year-old kid and his 12-year-old sister from the mother’s custody. They were subsequently allowed to stay with their father.
This case is an example of DCP&P being forced to remove children from a parent’s custody during a risky situation that arose because of child abuse and neglect. Here, not only did a parent allegedly physically abuse a child by subjecting the child to punching, scratching, and biting, the parent was also simply unavailable to parent due to being arrested. Fortunately for the children in this case, the father was readily available to step in and take care of them. This helped avoid the need to place the children in a non-relative’s home. This was a fairly straightforward case where one parent was literally unavailable to parent due to being incarcerated. However, not all cases are so cut and dry.
If DCP&P is investigating your family and there have been discussions of taking custody of your children, you should contact an experienced DYFS defense attorney who is familiar with New Jersey’s Title 9 child abuse and neglect laws. The DCP&P defense lawyers at the Tormey Law Firm are always available to fight on your behalf to keep your children in your home, explain how a DCP&P defense attorney can assist you with managing the Division’s intrusion into your family’s life, and help you explore what can be done to defend against allegations of child abuse and neglect. Contact us today to discuss your situation and explore your legal options.
