Two women have been arrested accused of viciously assaulting three young boys with a spiked dog leash and belts for not finishing their chores.
The suspects, 19 year old Haley Blevins and 30 year old Jacalyn Cook, are now facing several felony charges of injury to a child. The mother of the victims, aged 12, seven, and four, alerted Texarkana authorities on October 15 about the abuse that allegedly took place days earlier, according to a probable cause arrest affidavit.
The 30-year-old mother told officers that she and her sons had moved in with Cook after becoming homeless. Cook later invited Blevins to stay with them, despite the mom’s concerns over Blevins’ mental health history.
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Upon returning from work on October 11, the mother learned from her eldest son that he and his siblings had been subjected to a beating because they hadn’t completed their chores to Blevins’ standards, which included dishwashing, moving a mattress outside, and repositioning a couch, according to the affidavit.
Allegedly, Blevins initiated the punishment because the chores weren’t done “to her satisfaction,” as stated by the police. The oldest boy claimed he and his brothers were hit over 20 times by Blevins and Cook.
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Officers observed bruises and welts on the boys’ buttocks and legs, leading detectives to consider the inflicted injuries as “excessive in terms of discipline.”
Investigators brought the boys to the Children’s Advocacy Center for interviews, where stark revelations emerged. The elder, aged seven, reported that Cook allegedly “whooped” him with a “spiky switch” from a tree while Blevins used a belt in their assault.
His younger brother, aged only four, disclosed to authorities that Cook struck him with a “leash with spikes,” as per the obtained affidavit.
When posed with the question about why he was at the advocacy center, the eldest boy plainly responded, “I got abused on Friday,” capturing the heartbreak of the situation in his simple admission, detailed in the affidavit.
The same boy narrated an incident where, after running out of soap, he ceased doing dishes and lay on his bed, this is when Blevins would allegedly enter and begin attacking him with a “thick belt.”
Subsequently, Blevins purportedly forced him to move heavy furniture, striking him with the belt every time he failed to carry it properly. Moreover, it was recorded that he and his brothers had to endure being made to stand against a wall as Blevins continued the assaults with the belt, according to police records.
Police arrested Blevins and Cook and detained them in the Bowie County Jail.
