Alabama child repeatedly burned/scarred with stun gun: Relative faces 10 felonies
By Carol Robinson | crobinson@al.com The Birmingham News
Blount County, AL
A 51-year-old Blount County woman formerly convicted of animal cruelty now faces 10 felony charges after authorities say she repeatedly used a stun gun on a child.
Janice Welch, of Blountsville, surrendered on the new charges Nov. 19, court records show. District Attorney Pamela Casey said the woman is charged with five counts of aggravated child abuse and five counts of second-degree assault.
Authorities didn't release the child's age except to say she is under the age of 16. She is related to Welch, but is not her child, Casey said.
According to court records, the girl was burned on multiple parts of her body with the stun gun. The abuse happened over the past year, and the girl is now badly scarred.
Welch was released from the Blount County Jail on the same day she was arrested after posting $220,000 bond.
She was convicted in Cullman County in 2008 on a misdemeanor charge of cruelty to animals. Authorities found she didn't provide food, water, shelter or veterinarian care for her 11 dogs. She was also found guilty of not properly keeping those dogs contained – one of them had a litter of puppies under a neighbor's home and did $1,000 worth of damage. Welch received a 12-month suspended sentence in that case, and was ordered to surrender the dogs to a shelter.
The stun gun case will go before a Blount County grand jury.
"Blount County DHR worker Anita Williams did an incredible job in this matter of identifying a situation where abuse was taking place and working with the victim for her to disclose the cause of the injuries,'' Casey said. "Blount County Investigator Sue Ashworth and Williams have worked tirelessly in this case. It is a heartbreaking case and the scars will follow this child for her life."