Grandmother charged with felony child abuse
A 10-year-old girl who ran away and hid in the woods overnight on Nov. 27 was beaten by her grandmother with a belt before she left the house, according to an Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office arrest report.
The grandmother, 41-year-old Leola Pina of Mary Esther, was charged with felony child abuse.
She was arrested Dec. 20 and has a Jan. 22 court date.
The report indicates that the girl had removed two checks from her checkbook and one had been cashed at the book fair at the child’s elementary school. The child admitted to stealing the checks and forging one at school.
Pina told the deputy that she and her husband have had previous problems with the child stealing and that the girl knows such behavior will not be tolerated.
In their household, she told the deputy, spankings are done with a belt after the child has undressed down to her underwear.
Pina said the minor child did not remain still as the punishment was administered, the report said.
When she was discovered hiding in the woods the next day by a deputy, the child had bruises, welts and cuts to her chest, upper back, upper thighs, buttocks and hip areas, according to the report.
The report noted that she appeared to have been struck with the flat of the belt, the buckle and the belt when it was looped over.
Pina estimated that she struck the girl about 20 times.
The girl then locked herself in the bathroom before eventually leaving the house at about 7 p.m., wearing only her bra and panties, the report said.