The Onslow County Sheriff’s Office tells Nine On Your Side that felony child abuse charges are likely after a pit bull puppy chewed off all the toes on four-month-old child's left foot early Monday morning.
The sheriff's department says it happened at 1494 Murrill Hill Road.
Authorities say the child's mother, Robie Lynn Jenkins, and her boyfriend, Tremayne J. Spillman, were dog-sitting a 12-week-old pit bull for Aaron Watkins, who was arrested Sunday for possession of a firearm by a felon.
The sheriff's department says Jenkins placed the baby on a foldout couch in the living room while she and Spillman slept on another couch. Two other children were in a bedroom while the dog was allowed to move throughout the house, according to the sheriff.
But Jenkins' neighbors and friends tell Nine On Your Side a different story.
Neighbor Jennifer White told Nine On Your Side that Jenkins is "a very good mom" and that "she made sure the puppy was locked in the bathroom [Sunday] night before she went to bed."
She believes one of Jenkins' other two children let the dog out of the bathroom during the night. She also says that Spillman, who White says is the father of all three children, was not sleeping on the couch, but in another room.
Jenkins told authorities she had taken medication and never heard the child cry out, but discovered what had happened in the morning.
"When [Jenkins] woke up, the baby's toes were gone," White said. "But she is a good mom. She doesn't neglect her kids at all. She stays home with them all day long."
The child was transported to Pitt County Memorial Hospital, where medical authorities say the child may lose his left foot.
The investigation into the incident is ongoing, but Sheriff Ed Brown says felony child abuse warrants should be issued Monday.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement