Monticello Live

Marquell Daniels went before the Drew County Circuit Court Monday, and accepted a plea bargain for the crime of permitting child abuse.

Daniels was sentenced to 5 years in the Dept of Corrections, which will be served after his current 10 year sentence, for violating his probation on different charges.

Lasheta Bonner, who accepted a separate plea to the charge of child endangerment, earlier this year, is serving a 3 year sentence.

Daniels was represented by Daren Nelson; Zach Vaughn represented the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. Judge Sam Pope was the presiding judge at the final hearing.

Details on the case and the child’s injuries are covered in the stories below.

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Posted on November 4, 2009.

Marquell Daniels and Lacheta Bonner were scheduled to appear before the Drew County Circuit Court Monday for probation revocation hearings for child abuse related charges.

Daniels attorney requested a mental evaluation be performed on Daniels, so his case went no further, and he will remain in the Drew County Detention Facility, until further action.

Both Bonner and Daniels had been on probation for residential burglary and theft of property. Click here to see MonticelloLive’s report on that incident.

Lacheta Bonner’s case of “permitting abuse” was heard by the court.  Prosecution witnesses included a probation officer, a child services officer, and Dr. Tim SImon.

The probation report indicated that Bonner had twice tested positive for marijuana use, although one of them was within 30 days of entering the probation program. and the other was after the child related charges were filed.

The couple took the child to Dr. Simon’s clinic, to check on bruising and a rash on the baby’s foot, on August 21, and the child was transferred to Drew Memorial Hospital, and then taken to Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock.

A bone scan from ACH showed multiple fractured bones, in different stages of healing.  The “rash” in the infant’s foot turned out to be several “pin-hole size” holes that had been bleeding.  Two fractured rib (7th & 8th) were described as being “consistent with squeezing”.

No evidence was presented to show Bonner had caused the abuse, but rather to show, as Judge Gibson phrased, “knew or should have known” about the injuries.

Bonner said that she suspected that there may be abuse, and took the child to the doctor; but added that since Daniels was always around, she wasn’t able to say anything.

The prosecution pointed out that there were times when he wasn’t next to her, and she could’ve called or told someone.

Judge Bynum Gibson told the court, “if she knew about it and permitted it, then she’s guilty”, and revoked Bonner’s probation, sentencing her to 10 years in the Department of Correction for the burglary and theft charges.

The trial on Daniels abuse charges, and Bonner’s permitting abuse charges will be set later.

The story below posted on September 9, 2008.

Acting upon information received from the Arkansas Children’s Hospital, the Drew County Sheriff’s Dept. has arrested two Monticello residents in the case of abuse to a child, who was estimated to be between 2-8 weeks old, at the time that the abuse occurred.  The report included approximately 4 fractures, that appear to be healing, among other injuries.

According to Drew County Sheriff’s Detective Rick Rausch, Lacheta Bonner, age 19, has been charged with 1 count of permitting child abuse.

Marquell Daniels, age 21, has been charged with domestic battery, 2nd degree, against the child.  Daniels also faces 2nd degree battery against a correctional officer, for an incident that occurred in the Drew County Detention Facility, on Sunday.

Both Daniels and Bonner had bonds set at $50,000.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 31st, 2009 at 10:01 pm and is filed under Police /Legal. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.