Police: Utah couple beat children with crutches, belt, hangers
FARMINGTON — A North Salt Lake couple faces charges of beating their young children, one disabled, with crutches, a belt, hangers and a spoon.
Nicole Mealosa Fakahafua, 28, and Makisi Atu Fakahafua, 29, appeared in 2nd District Court on Wednesday. They are each charged with child abuse, inflicting serious injury, a second-degree felony; abuse or neglect of a disabled child, a third-degree felony; and child abuse involving physical injury, a class A misdemeanor.
The couple told the judge they need more time to hire an attorney. Another hearing is scheduled for May 15.
The two were arrested and booked in the Davis County Jail on March 11. They were released after they posted bail.
According to documents filed with the court and the Davis County Jail, the two are accused of beating their three children, ages 7, 5 and 3. The 3-year-old has spina bifida and uses crutches to walk.
The 7-year-old was placed on a task tracer by his teacher at school and received a negative mark, according to charging documents. The child “began crying and told his teacher that the negative mark would cause his father, identified as Makisi Fakahafua, to ‘beat him,'” according to the documents.
Police were notified and did a welfare check on the child and they saw marks on the child that indicated physical abuse, according to the documents.Subsequently the three children were interviewed.
The 7-year-old boy told North Salt Lake detectives that his father and his mother, Nicole Fakahafu, hits him, according to the documents. The boy said his father hit him several times on his back with his younger brother’s crutches, hit him with a belt and hit him in the face with his face, causing him to have a black eye.
The last time Makisi Fakahuafua hit the boy with a belt, he “broke the belt on him and threw it in the garbage,” according to the document.
The 7-year-old said his mother hit him with a hanger and his brother’s crutches. The boy was examined by a forensics nurse “who observed numerous injuries including red marks, scabs and bruises” on the boy’s body,which were “consistent with and positive for physical abuse,” according to the documents.
The 5-year-old boy told detectives his father hit him with the crutches and belt, which caused the bruises detectives could see on his legs, according to the documents. He told detectives his father threw him against the wall. He said his mother had hit him with a spoon and a belt.
The 7-year-old told detectives he saw his father hit his 3-year-old brother “with his hands and with the crutches,” according to the document.
A forensics nurse examined the toddler and saw “a large linear scar on his lower leg and two roundish faded marks on his upper right thigh,” according to the document. The boy told the nurse his mother caused the injuries when she “hit him with a spoon.”
Contact reporter Loretta Park at 801-625-4252 or lpark@standard.net. Follow her on Twitter at @LorettaParkSE. Like her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SELorettaPark.