By: Patti Weaver
(Stillwater, Okla.) — A Stillwater woman has been ordered to appear in court on March 4 on a child abuse charge alleging she repeatedly struck a seven-year-old girl in the head with a book and water bottle before kicking the child, who received injuries to her face, ear and neck.
Katherine Marie Hufham, 27, who is related to the child, remains free on $10,000 bail.
After the girl was admitted to the OU Children’s Hospital for further examination for internal head injuries, she “was discharged with no concerns and placed into a foster home,” Stillwater Police Detective Sherae LeJeune wrote in an affidavit.
The child came to the attention of the Payne County Department of Human Services after being absent from school from Jan. 22 through 28, and returning to school on Jan. 29 “with bruising under both eyes, along with purple and green bruising on her face,” according to the affidavit.
After she was transported to the child advocacy center, The Saville Center, she disclosed to a nurse that Hufham “had struck her in the head with a book and a water bottle an unknown amount of times and had also kicked her,” the affidavit alleged.
When Hufham was interviewed by the detective on Jan. 31, she said that during the past several months, she had developed “anger issues,” the affidavit said.
She said that when the four children, for whom she is responsible, become irritating, she feels over-whelmed and orders them to their rooms, the affidavit alleged.
“She deals with the frustration by screaming into pillows, strangling pillows and kicking furniture. She acknowledged she had anger issues and needed professional help,” the affidavit alleged.
“Katherine wanted me to know she was taking medication for migraines, which may have contributed to blackouts, memory loss and irritability,” the detective wrote in her affidavit.
Hufham explained that on Sunday, Jan. 20, she was assisting the girl with her reading and became annoyed because the girl “was purposely not reading words that she knew,” the affidavit alleged.
Hufham “sent (the girl) to her room because she (Hufham) needed a break to lower her stress. She called (the girl) back into the living room after she cooled off to attempt to read again. This pattern of behavior continued for five hours,” according to the affidavit.
In the evening during another attempt at reading, the girl was fidgeting and Hufham started yelling at her, the affidavit alleged.
“She ‘bopped’ her on the side of the head with a paperback book. She then stood (the girl) up in front of her — holding her by her biceps. She shook her while asking her why she was goofing off and refusing to read. She let go and (the girl) fell to the ground. Katherine became enraged and yelled at (the girl) to go to her room quickly. As (the girl) was scrambling away, Katherine kicked the couch, but was unsure if she also kicked (the girl),” the affidavit alleged.
“Approximately 20 minutes later, Katherine called (the girl) back into the living room to attempt to read again,” but lost her temper when the girl “started goofing off again,” the affidavit alleged.
“Katherine said she ‘tapped’ (the girl) on the left side of her head two to three times with a water bottle in an attempt to get her to focus. (The girl) still refused to say what a word was. Katherine said she went for a ‘tap’ but her anger took over. She described the water bottle as a large, unbreakable plastic bottle,” the affidavit alleged.
“Katherine said (the girl) threw up while reading before she struck her in the head. She also threw up the following day. Two days later on Tuesday, (the girl) complained of a headache. Katherine gave her an icepack and laid her down to watch a movie,” after which she noticed bruising from her hairline to her eye on the left side of her head,” that she treated with ice, the affidavit alleged.
“On Wednesday, the bruising extended across the bridge of her nose to the right eye. (The girl) complained that her eyes itched so Katherine treated her with saline drops,” as well as a mixture of turmeric and vinegar around her eyes in an attempt to reduce inflammation, the affidavit alleged.
“During the five days (the girl) missed school, she complained of a headache and itchy eyes. Katherine said she did not take (the girl) to see a doctor for her injuries because she and her son were ill. She was not well enough to handle all the kids at the doctor’s office. She also advised she knew the doctor would call DHS and she did not want them involved,” the affidavit alleged.
Child abuse is a felony punishable by a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $5,000 fine, according to the charge filed by prosecutor Debra Vincent.
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