A Cullman County couple is in jail after authorities say a young child showed blatant signs of abuse, including a cigarette burn and a BB lodged in the buttocks.
Amber Marie Trybalski DeLoach, 24, and Jeremy Fitzpatrick DeLoach, 22, are charged with felony child abuse, Cullman County Sheriff Matt Gentry announced today. The Arab couple is being held without bond in the Cullman County Detention Center. Amber DeLoach is the child’s mother; Jeremy DeLoach the stepfather, authorities said.
The pair was arrested Monday for abuse to the 4-year-old child. Gentry said the victim was taken to the hospital by a relative and the hospital then alerted lawmen. Physicians noticed the child was malnourished, had a broken rib that had not healed, a burn that resembled a cigarette burn and also had a BB lodged in the buttocks, as well as other injuries associated with child abuse.
“The sheriff’s office has made it a priority to care for those who cannot care and fight for themselves,” Gentry said in a press release. “I have stated many times that when someone injures a child there isn’t a punishment severe enough for them to receive.”
The couple is charged with aggravated child abuse, unlawful possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. Gentry said sheriff’s investigators worked together with the Department of Human Resources and the Cullman County District Attorney’s Office.
