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Left: Taylor Schaefer. Right: Shawn Stone (Volusia County Sheriff's Office).
A Florida parent who allowed her fellow to "repeatedly bushed and torture" her 5-year-old son, handcuff him for astir a time and enactment him wrong a canine cage is headed to situation for decades.
Taylor Schaefer, 30, pleaded nary contention to a slew of charges, including aggravated child abuse, conspiracy to perpetrate kid neglect with large bodily harm and nonaccomplishment to study kid abuse, according to the Volusia County Sheriff's Office. A justice sentenced her to 60 years down bars.
The lawsuit began successful May 2023 erstwhile Schaefer had a "gut feeling" that her live-in boyfriend, 35-year-old Shawn M. Stone, was abusing her past 5-year-old son. She checked the location surveillance video, which confirmed her suspicions. Then she called the police.
What constabulary soon learned was that she failed to notation that she was contiguous successful the location for overmuch of the maltreatment and ne'er stopped it oregon reported it.
"On respective occasions the lad was visibly injured and limping successful her presence, but received nary attraction oregon aesculapian attention. Video showed helium was not lone beaten, but repeatedly near with his hands bound down his backmost for hours astatine a time," deputies wrote. "The unfortunate was besides tied up, placed successful a canine cage and often punished via deprivation of food."
Stone is charged with aggravated kid abuse, mendacious imprisonment and neglect of a kid causing large bodily harm. His lawsuit is ongoing and helium remains successful the Volusia County Jail without bond. He was arrested connected May 9, 2023, aft helium allegedly bushed the lad with a mop grip and besides punched and kicked the kid earlier helium fled from cops connected a four-wheeler.
Cops past collected video from wrong the home.
As Law&Crime previously reported, footage showed the lad bound with his hands down his backmost for hours astatine a clip successful the days starring up to the Stone's arrest, deputies said.
In different incident, his hands were tied down his backmost from 6:43 p.m. done the nighttime and into the adjacent time astatine 2:02 p.m., authorities claim.
"On different occasion, his legs, feet, arms and torso were bound for astatine slightest an hr portion Stone stood implicit him," deputies said.
There was besides footage that showed moments successful which Stone yelled and kicked the already bruised and injured boy, according to the sheriff's office. Schaefer would participate the representation and archer the kid to basal up straight. The video besides revealed that the sounds of the maltreatment reverberated passim the home.
That 5-year-old sustained dozens of injuries, deputies said, with doctors noting that astatine slightest 46 of those injuries were visible. The lad besides suffered interior injuries, including a fractured skull.
Deputies noted 2 different victims, including a kid who was allegedly forced to ingest scalding blistery liquid.
"It was besides determined that different kid successful the location was forced to portion boiling water, sprayed with boiling water, and beaten with respective household objects," instrumentality enforcement said. "That kid besides witnessed the brutal maltreatment inflicted connected the younger victim."
In summation to watching the younger victim's abuse, a 3rd kid successful the residence did not get due nutrition oregon attraction for a superior aesculapian condition, authorities said.
The kids were taken from the residence and placed successful what deputies called a "safe environment."
Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood shared a nexus to a GoFundMe campaign to enactment the children.
"The torture these kids endured is hard to imagine," helium said. "The bully quality is they're successful harmless hands now, and their scumbag abusers volition person to reply for what they did."
Alberto Luperon contributed to this report
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