College Station couple arrested, charged with child abuse

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) – A College Station mother and her boyfriend are each charged with injuring a child under the age of 8, according to arrest documents from the College Station Police Department.

The abuse allegations came to light after staff at the child’s elementary school began noticing bruises and other injuries on the child’s body, according to arrest reports.

Police say when the child was interviewed, she said both her mother, Chantel Turner, and her mother’s boyfriend, Andrea Bell, repeatedly used various objects to hit her as punishment. She was also forced to sleep in a closet, sometimes without food, and sometimes zip ties were used to bind her hands and feet. The child also recalled that vinegar was once poured into her mouth while her hands were tied.

The police suspect that the abuse has been going on for two years.

According to probable cause statements from both Turner and Bell, authorities found numerous marks, bruises, scars and other injuries on the girl’s arms, wrists, legs, ankles, abdomen and buttocks.

Some of the items used to punish the child included a wooden paddle, a leather belt, an extension cord and a stun gun, police reported.

Both Turner, 36, and Bell, 31, are in jail charged with injury to a child with bonds set at $75,000 each.

Copyright 2024 KBTX. All rights reserved.