Police arrested an Ohio couple accused of abusing their 5-week-old twins. The parents, Codi Alexander Ronald Allen, 20, and SueAnn Carter, 27, allegedly caused severe injuries to their infants, including broken arms. The Scioto County Sheriff's Office became involved when they responded to a call from Nationwide Children's Hospital regarding a potential child abuse case.
The suspected abuse call came in on February 20, according to a release from the sheriff's office. At the time, Detective Jodi Conkel, a member of the Scioto County Prosecutor's Special Victims Unit, spoke with the child abuse trauma team of doctors caring for the twins. After being thoroughly examined, doctors reported the injuries were not accidental.
The twins both had multiple injuries.
The twins had broken bones and serious injuries to their eyes. The sheriff's office release stated that both twins appeared to have hemorrhages in both eyes. In addition, the twins had broken bones in their arms, legs, and rib cage, along with facial trauma and bruises.
Because of the severity of the injuries, authorities removed the infants from their parents' custody.
Police spoke with witnesses and family members first.
Sheriff David Thoroughman said detectives first interviewed witnesses and family members. After they concluded those interviews, detectives met with the parents. The pair were promptly arrested and charged with multiple felonies.
The judge set a hefty bond.
Both Allen and Carter face two counts of felonious assault, second-degree felony, four counts of endangering children, second-degree felony, and four counts of endangering children, third-degree felony, according to the sheriff's office release. The pair are each being held on a $340,000 bond and appeared February 23 in Portsmouth Municipal Court.
A former roommate of the couple claims they are not violent.
In a Facebook post, Contessa Courtney Anderson said she lived with the couple and their arrest saddens her. She wrote that despite how they are depicted in the media, they are not violent people, and Carter has a mental illness.
In the comment section, Anderson further explains her relationship with them.
"I took these people in cause they were homeless they did work at the time before they got fired from their job,they were friends with my wife I gave them an opportunity to get off their feet to get a job and a apartment but the refuse to I had to evict them," she wrote in the post. "I didn't know they were capable of doing this it angers me,I took them in if they're my kids but looks can be deceiving, SueAnn had her babies five weeks ago I suspect she is bipolar."
The Scioto County Sheriff's Office post garnered much attention, with many commenters sharing well-wishes for the infants.
The unthinkable crimes against these babies brought much emotion to social media.
"This is very heartbreaking. My heart hurts to think of the pain these babies have endured," one comment reads. "Some ppl should never be blessed with children."
"Dear God I pray for these beautiful children. Thank God they're behind bars. What kind of people are they?" another commenter wrote.
Others showed their anger toward the parents.
"Let me be in a room with the poor mistaken of a woman. I'll have her wishing she would have never laid a finger on those sweet babies," an angry comment reads.
Another person wrote, "hope someone does the same to them everyday while locked up."
The sheriff's office said the investigation is ongoing and urged anyone with information to contact Detective Sergeant Jodi Conkel at 740-351-1091.
If you suspect child abuse, you can call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 (1-800-4-A-Child) or go to Childhelp.org. The hotline is available 24/7.
