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Mother accused of forcing child to put hands in oven, striking him with bat

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.Disclaimer: Some may find the details provided in this report to be graphic in nature. Discretion advised.

A man and woman are facing charges of aggravated child abuse after a boy told police he was told to put his hands in an oven and disciplined with a bat, according to a report from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.

In addition, the report states, Nicole Bennett, 36, faces a charge of child neglect and a charge of refusing a crime victim medical care.

According to the report, an officer showed up at a hospital where the complainant advised that when he had picked up the child, he noticed the boy had burns to both of his palms. In the report, the officer noted blisters to the victim’s palms and injuries to his face, a knot on his head and a busted lip.

The boy told police, the report states, that a man who lives with Bennett, Ronald McKinney, accused him of stealing his shoes and punched him in the chest. The Sheriff’s Office report states that when Bennett arrived home, she grabbed a bat and told the boy to turn the oven on to its highest temperature, and then to put his hands inside the oven and that he was struck with the bat on his hand.

The boy told police Bennett made him place is hands on the inside of the oven door for 10 seconds and that McKinney held one of his hands on the door inside the oven, the report states, and the boy was struck an additional time with the bat. The boy, the Sheriff’s Office said, told police he slept outside on the porch that night and was not allowed back inside until the next morning, when he was taken to school.

According to the report, McKinney admitted to punching the boy, but denied hold his hands in the oven.

Bennett is being held on $850,000 bond. McKinney is being held on a $500,000 bond, and News4JAX has requested his arrest report.

The news comes a day after a report 40-miles away in St. Augustine, where Darcy and Joseph Sargent are accused of neglecting their 13-year-old son.

According to the investigative report, the parents neglected to seek medical attention for their son after he fell out of a hammock and injured his leg, causing him to be bedridden.

According to this arrest report, when first responders were finally called to the home, they found the boy laying in bed on top of dried urine and feces. Paramedics say the boy was malnourished.

Family Support Services of North Florida works with the Department of Children and Families by finding foster homes for abused and neglected children. They also help with reuniting children with their families after a crisis has been resolved.

Whitney Butler, the agency’s director of community engagement, says there is a disturbing trend the general public may not be aware of.

“We are seeing an increase in calls coming into the Florida abuse hotline,” Butler said.

“Those that we can’t keep safely at home, we work to reunify them with their family or move them to adoption or some form of normalcy – potentially, even with a family member,” she added.

Family Support Services says they are clearing a lot of cases and placing children into safer homes.


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About the Author
Erik Avanier headshot

Award-winning broadcast and multimedia journalist with 20 years experience.