Marble Hill woman accused of child abuse

A Marble Hill, Missouri, woman was charged with child abuse after she twisted a 7-year-old’s arms behind the girl’s back, sheriff’s deputies said.

Bollinger County deputies arrested Karie Lynn Stephens, 34, on Thursday. The Bollinger County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged her Friday with two counts of abuse or neglect of a child.

Stephens was watching another woman’s children Thursday afternoon, according to a probable-cause statement filed in the case by deputy Andrew Dooley.

The woman called deputies and told them her 14-year-old son described an assault Stephens committed against one of the other children, Dooley wrote.

Dooley arrived at the house about 1 p.m. at Bollinger County Road 400 and saw Stephens trying to leave with her five children, according to the statement.

The 14-year-old told Dooley that Stephens had grabbed the 7-year-old girl’s arms behind her back, pulled them up to the girl’s head, pushed the girl into the wall and made her stand in the corner, Dooley wrote.

Dooley observed and photographed a “slight bruise and scratch” on the girl’s left arm, according to the statement.

The 14-year-old also described an incident in which Stephens slapped a 4-year-old boy in the face Jan. 3 at the house. Dooley did not describe any evidence of this incident in his statement.

Stephens told Dooley she put the 7-year-old in the corner because the victim had struck another child.

Stephens’ five children were taken into protective custody and placed by the Division of Family Services, Dooley wrote.

Stephens was on probation after she pleaded guilty to second-degree child endangerment Jan. 13.

Stephens was charged after her 2-year-old son was found walking on Highway 51 on May 9, 2015, according to a probable-cause statement filed in the case by deputy Stephanie Freeman.

Three other adults were in the house when the child walked onto the roadway, Freeman wrote.

bkleine@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3644

Pertinent address: Bollinger County Road 400, Marble Hill, MO