SEABROOK, Texas – A Seabrook man has been accused of beating his 11-year-old adopted son, and police said that the boy's mother saw it happen but did nothing.
According to court documents, Seabrook police were called out to Seabrook Intermediate School for a welfare check on Jan 5.
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When the boy was examined, he was found to have injuries so severe that he had to be hospitalized, investigators said.
The 11-year-old had several bandages on his waist, buttocks and thighs, covering wounds that were still seeping bodily fluids, according to police.
The boy claims the abuse occurred at his family's home, where he told investigators that his father, Kerry Dean Parks, 50, had been whipping him with a leather belt for months, sometimes twice a day.
The boy also said that Parks would often pour vinegar, alcohol and sometimes even salt onto his open wounds, according to court documents.
The chemicals caused burns severe enough that he had to be treated at Shriner's Hospital.
According to the probable cause statement, the boy's mother, Merilyn Parks, 35, witnessed the beatings on several occasions but failed to report it.
The boy, now 12, and his infant sister have been in foster care since January, according to Children's Protective Services.
Kerry Dean Parks has been charged with two counts of serious bodily injury to a child. He was arrested on Monday.
Merilyn Louise Parks has been charged with injury to a child. A warrant has been issued for her arrest.