Crime & Safety

Sussex Mother Whipped Daughter for Talking in School, Police Say

A 6-year-old girl showed the school counselor her bruises that appeared to be several days old, according to a criminal complaint.

A 28-year-old Sussex woman could spend up to three years in prison after she was accused of whipping her daughter, leaving her with bruises.

The woman, who Waukesha Patch is not identifying to protect the identity of the daughter, was charged Friday in Waukesha County Circuit court with physical abuse of a child.

According to the complaint:

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The woman’s 6-year-old daughter was talking during school Feb. 13 and was given a warning about speaking when she was supposed to be listening. The girl said her mother “will whip her when she gets in trouble and that her mother does this occasionally by using a white extension cord, a black spoon with three holes or a belt.”

The school counselor met with the girl, who again stated her mother whips her. When the counselor asked the girl how it made her feel, she touched her hip and said, “yep, it is still there.”

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The girl showed the counselor the bruises and marks, which were nearly black and appeared to be several days old. The girl told school staff her mother made her take her clothes off and then the mother whipped her repeatedly while she undressed.

A detective asked the mother to take the daughter to the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department for an interview and a medical exam. The mother told the detective Feb. 14 the detective would have to interview her Friday.

When the detective told the mother they were conducting a child abuse investigation, the mother told the investigator she was having problems with her neighbor and couldn’t believe anyone would “say something like this.” The mother refused to allow her daughter to speak with a detective.

However, the detective arrested the mother, who had outstanding warrants in West Allis and the Town of Brookfield. The detective interviewed the 6-year-old girl in front of a principal.

The girl repeated the statements about being whipped by her mother when her mother found out she had been talking during school.


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