KONAWA, Okla. (AP) - A Konawa man and his girlfriend who were arrested earlier this month after a video surfaced on social media of an attack on the man’s 8-year-old son have been charged with child abuse and enabling child abuse.
Joshua Whittington was charged last week with two counts of felony child abuse or alternative counts of enabling child abuse by injury, while his girlfriend, Tracy Casteel, was charged with two felony counts of enabling child abuse, The Ada News reported (https://bit.ly/1mg6ZOx ).
Both are being held at the Seminole County Jail. Whittington’s bond is $250,000, while Casteel’s is $75,000. They do not yet have attorneys.
Assistant Seminole County District Attorney Paul Smith said Casteel’s 15-year-old son was also charged with two counts of child abuse. The teenager, who will be prosecuted as a juvenile, is in state custody without bond.
Assistant District Attorney Christopher Anderson, who is prosecuting the adults’ cases, has declined comment.
The three were arrested earlier this month after a video was posted to Instagram with the caption “what this kid will do for a piece of gum.” In the video, the 8-year-old boy was seen wearing a football helmet while the 15-year-old took a running start and kicked the younger boy in the head several times. The 8-year-old started crying after the second kick.
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Information from: The Ada News, https://www.adaeveningnews.com
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