After "severe bruising" was found on a 4-year-old child, two Arkansas residents — including the victim's mother — face charges, authorities said.
Jenah Horning, 22, was arrested Monday on one count of permitting abuse of minor. Her boyfriend, 20-year-old Aaron Maricle, faces one count of second-degree battery, records show.
On Oct. 14, deputies with the Stone County sheriff’s office met with the child's father in reference to bruising that he noticed after picking the boy up from his mother's home on Main Street in Mountain View around 4 p.m. that day, according to a news release.
"Aaron hit me," the child reportedly told his father.
Horning and Maricle admitted to spanking the child, according to the sheriff's office. At one point during an interview, Maricle said that he “may have struck him” harder than intended, the release states.
Records show Horning and Maricle were being held in lieu of $10,000 and $15,000 bond, respectively. They remained jailed as of Wednesday afternoon and are set to appear Jan. 11 in Stone County Circuit Court.
The Arkansas State Police Crimes Against Children Division is also part of the joint investigation, authorities said.
