HOUSTON – A woman has been accused of abusing a 4-year-old girl with a broom and a belt, and her husband has been accused of not stopping the abuse.
Eutha Nicole Oliver, 32, and Shawn Carter, 45, have been charged with injury to a child.
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Houston police said Oliver and Carter were supposed to be caring for the girl, who was staying with them since Aug. 3. Children's Protective Services said the girl's mother is in jail and left her daughter with Oliver and Carter.
Oliver took the girl to Children's Protective Services on Aug. 23, detectives said. The girl was then taken by ambulance to Memorial Hermann Hospital after workers discovered she had severe injuries, police said.
Doctors determined that the child had pelvic fractures, a broken toe and multiple bruises and abrasions, officials said.
Investigators said the girl told them that Oliver had whipped her with a belt several times and was hit on the head with the belt buckle. She also said that Oliver had thrown her against a wall for urinating on herself, police said.
The girl's toe was broken when Oliver used a broom to smash it, investigators said. The girl was barely able to walk after the injury.
The girl was also stomped on and kicked several times, police said.
Detectives said the abuse began shortly after the girl arrived at the couple's home and continued daily until Oliver took her to CPS.
Investigators said Carter never did anything to stop Oliver from abusing the girl. He claimed that the girl had some of the bruises before coming to his home and that she had inflicted some of them on herself while she was at his home, detectives said.
Carter said he and Oliver considered adopting the girl, police said.
A 7-year-old boy was also living in the couple's home, CPS officials said. The identity of that child's mother has not been determined, officials said. CPS has taken custody of that boy.
The couple's four children were also taken into CPS custody.
Oliver is being held in the Harris County Jail without bond. Her criminal history includes theft and assault charges.
Carter is being held in the Harris County Jail with bond set at $30,000. His criminal history includes charges of deadly conduct, tampering with a government document, unlawful carrying of a weapon, driving with a suspended license, theft and forgery.