Police: Women poured hot sauce in boy's eyes as punishment
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - A mother and her friend jailed on suspicion of duct-taping a teenage boy, forcing him to inhale marijuana and pouring hot sauce in his eyes as punishment could face additional child-abuse charges in an ongoing investigation, police in a Salt Lake City suburb said Thursday.
"This is not discipline that any child should have to go through," West Valley Police Sgt. Jason Hauer said. "It's definitely abuse."
The 14-year-old boy has been returned to his father's custody, Hauer said.
The mother, Robin Willette Rumsey, and her friend, Krista Jean Miller, were arrested Tuesday on multiple felony child abuse and endangerment charges.
Rumsey, 38, and Miller, 33, began a pattern of abuse against the boy two years ago, Hauer said.
Early on, he was punished for breaking a glass dish by having Tabasco sauce poured into his eyes, according to a probable cause statement used to hold the women at the Salt Lake County jail.
On other occasions, the women tried to force the boy to smoke marijuana, poured alcohol over his face, and held him in a basement.
Rumsey and Miller were living together in a house owned by Miller's mother, who says she evicted them for failing to pay rent and moved back Monday into the house.
Marsha Christensen said she didn't believe the allegations against her foster-daughter, Miller.
"No, she was not raised this way," she told KSL-TV.
Christensen said she believes the child abuse allegations were fabricated as part of a custody battle over the child.
Hauer said investigators have no information on a custody fight.
"This case is full of mysteries. There are a lot of questions coming up that I don't have answers to, mostly because the case is still active," Hauer said Thursday. "The arrests made two days ago with Krista and Robin are probably just the beginning of other allegations that are going to come to light in this case."
The case has been under investigation for six months, he said.
No court records were available online in the case, and it wasn't clear if Rumsey or Miller had lawyers.
"This is not discipline that any child should have to go through," West Valley Police Sgt. Jason Hauer said. "It's definitely abuse."
The 14-year-old boy has been returned to his father's custody, Hauer said.
The mother, Robin Willette Rumsey, and her friend, Krista Jean Miller, were arrested Tuesday on multiple felony child abuse and endangerment charges.
Rumsey, 38, and Miller, 33, began a pattern of abuse against the boy two years ago, Hauer said.
Early on, he was punished for breaking a glass dish by having Tabasco sauce poured into his eyes, according to a probable cause statement used to hold the women at the Salt Lake County jail.
On other occasions, the women tried to force the boy to smoke marijuana, poured alcohol over his face, and held him in a basement.
Rumsey and Miller were living together in a house owned by Miller's mother, who says she evicted them for failing to pay rent and moved back Monday into the house.
Marsha Christensen said she didn't believe the allegations against her foster-daughter, Miller.
"No, she was not raised this way," she told KSL-TV.
Christensen said she believes the child abuse allegations were fabricated as part of a custody battle over the child.
Hauer said investigators have no information on a custody fight.
"This case is full of mysteries. There are a lot of questions coming up that I don't have answers to, mostly because the case is still active," Hauer said Thursday. "The arrests made two days ago with Krista and Robin are probably just the beginning of other allegations that are going to come to light in this case."
The case has been under investigation for six months, he said.
No court records were available online in the case, and it wasn't clear if Rumsey or Miller had lawyers.
Subjected to this type of "punishment" for two years and somebody just noticed? If it went on for two years, there should be some concern for long term mental issues the boy may have.
This is another story of a despicable parent! People like this give meaning to the phrase "they threw out the baby and kept the afterbirth"! What really was the relationship between the mother and her female friend? Or is the media afraid to say? Â
This comment has been deleted
Knock it off, Bubba!Â
@jpk I am sure Bubba meant "they're" and not "their". :)
So this is the parental equivalent of jackazz??Â
"duct-taping a teenage boy, forcing him to inhale marijuana and pouring hot sauce in his eyes as punishment "
There's nothing like a "negative reinforcement" training method employed by masochistic sociopath.
I can't imagine ANY human being who has gone through more than 5 years of life without breaking something...and such breakage can be accidental or intentional...  However, whether this kid broke the glass dish on purpose or by sheer accident (dropped or knocked off a counter or table), pouring Tabasco sauce (or anything similar) in his eyes  - IF that did, in fact, happen - is WAY over the line and totally UNacceptable..!  Â
There's a lot here that isn't known yet... and custody battles, by their very nature, seem to be open invitations for all kinds of allegations - some true, some not - by each party against the other... and invariably, the kids are caught right in the middle of the war between the adults... Â The adults are trying to inflict as much pain as possible on each other...but the worst pain always falls on the kids..
"..punished for breaking a glass dish.."
Broke a lot of glass in my days learned how super-glue, bondo and putty worked in intimate detail. Could replace a window in less than 30 minutes before i was 12.Â
By the time I was 13, I learned how to NOT break glass.Â
It is unfortunate this child didn't get proper discipline and instead was tortured. Kids need guidance, they WILL make judgment mistakes. Too bad these two dullards thought pain was the only tool to correct behavior.Â
Â
@Repoman   And perhaps he didn't need discipline at all, and that they were just torturing him, the way some in the news lately have caged, starved and beaten their children. Not that maybe he didn't do anything wrong, but was what he actually did deserve this type of treatment. Hopefully it will be a LONG time before these two see daylight again...except maybe in an exercise yard.
sounds like a case of "I don't want the child, but I don't want his dad to have him either". So sad for this kid, I hope his Dad can make sure the boy never has to go back and see his nut case mom.
This comment has been deleted
This comment has been deleted
This comment has been deleted
@TheUglyTruthÂ
And there were a number of civil rights vioaltions resulting from police conduct and the people pepper sprayed were punished without due process. Cops use pepper spray, tasers, night sticks and guns to administer street justice with great regularity.Â
@Dr. Rawdog For starters the occupy people chose to stay there breaking the rules knowing the possible consequences...and they were not children except for maybe a few idiots who brought kids there.
This comment has been deleted
@Dr. Rawdog @FreedomRocks Ya and I bet your are one of those who whined how mean Bush was to allow pouring water on a few terrorist yet you have no problem with this...
Well, if the Police are trying to enforce order in a rally or situation that has gotten out of hand, then I think they should use those rubber BB's or pepper-spray to try to restore order, though I don't think those really work that well.
This comment has been deleted
@Dr. Rawdog @pdxd You really are stupid for someone with a Dr in the title...don't think I need to elaborate on this one pretty sure your comment along suffices to fully back up my statement.
PS Maybe though this is how your were raised it would explain a lot.
"...Robin Willette Rumsey, and her friend, Krista Jean Miller..."Â Was Ms. Rumsey's son getting in the way?
some people should NEVER be allowed to breed
I'll bet a nickel they support "traditional family values"