Sherry Allender, 22, the girl’s mother, and Charles J. Jones Jr., 26, were indicted on counts of complicity to commit abduction (through restraint) and complicity to commit endangering children (through torture). Both charges are third-degree felonies, punishable by up to five years in state prison.
“You can clearly see in the video that she’s in pain,” said Janna Hu- ber, supervising attorney for the prosecutor’s office’s child abuse bureau. The girl did not suffer any serious injuries during the abuse, Huber said.
The incident is the latest in a series of high-profile child abuse cases. Last week, Asia Morris, 22, was charged with murder in the death of her 2-year-old son. On June 10, Jeremy R. Ely, 27, and Christina Allen, 26, were indicted on charges related to the scalding of Allen’s 3-year-old daughter.
Allender and Jones, her boyfriend, were booked into the Montgomery County Jail late Tuesday afternoon.
The indictment said the abuse occurred April 17. The two duct-taped the girl’s wrists, legs and mouth, Heck said.
“They decided it would be fun,” Heck said.
The couple then video-recorded the abuse using a cellular phone.
At one point, Jones rips the tape off the girl’s mouth, causing her to scream in agony, Heck said.
The youngster also fell down trying to walk.
“As she falls to the ground, she is crying ‘mommy, mommy,’ ” Heck said.
The abuse happened at a home on the 1200 block of Central Park in Kettering, Heck said.
The two later sold the cellular phone to the girl’s biological father. His mother, who lives in Harrison Twp., discovered the video on the phone and called the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office in May, Heck said.
The girl was removed from Allender’s custody and is with the paternal grandmother, Heck said. Allender also has a 1-year-old child, who was removed from her custody. That child has a different biological father, Heck said.
Neighbors on Central Park Avenue, a quiet street that dead-ends into Community Golf Center’s Hills and Dales courses, were shocked to learn the crime had occurred in their neighborhood.
Matt Hass lives in the same 4-unit apartment building as Allender and said his 8-year-old son has often played with the 3-year-old victim.
“We’ve known them for a while,” he said, but he had no idea any abuse was taking place.
“It’s a little freaky. It makes you think more about your security.”
Jones has pleaded guilty to felony charges at least five times, according to Montgomery County Common Pleas Court records. He has been convicted of receiving stolen property, burglary, grand theft of a firearm, breaking and entering and complicity to commit grand theft.
This is the first time Allender has been indicted in Montgomery County. Since January, she has been on probation for a misdemeanor conviction for violating a protection order, according to Kettering Municipal Court records.
Heck said the couple had been drinking when the abuse happened, but that it still mystifies authorities.
“What makes people do this?” Heck said. “I don’t know.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2057 or lgrieco@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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