A couple told police they picked up a friend and his two children to take them to the Daleville splash park on Monday and they were mortified by the visible injuries on the two children.
The man and his girlfriend said they were embarrassed "because everyone kept staring at the kids, to the point that they would either raise or lower their sunglasses to get a better view of the kids' faces," according to an affidavit of probable cause by Heather McClain of the Anderson Police Department.
"They felt they were being judged as if they were the ones who did this to the kids," according to the affidavit.
The children's father, Daykota Rain Rich, 24, was arrested on suspicion of two counts of Level 5 felony battery resulting in bodily injury to a person less than 14 years of age and two counts of Level 5 felony neglect of a dependent resulting in bodily injury.
After taking Rich and his two children to Daleville, the man contacted the children's maternal grandmother and said "he was so uncomfortable with the situation and that he did not feel the kids were being properly cared for and they were not safe," according to the affidavit.
The grandmother picked the children up on Tuesday and took them to Lawrence where police were notified of the situation. Lawrence police called for medics to transport the children to Riley Hospital for Children for treatment after observing their injuries.
Photographs of the documented injuries include "numerous visible injuries to both children including what appears to be a hand print" on the face of one of the children, according to the affidavit.
One of the children told Lawrence police "daddy punched me," according to the affidavit.
Rich told police his older son caused the injury to his other son on Monday, according to the affidavit. Rich said the child hit the other child in the face with a toy that had wooden rods and that he punished the child by spanking him with a belt.
The bruises on the other child's face, buttocks and back were from the child falling at the Daleville splash pad, Rich told police.
Rich's friend, however, said the injuries to the children were present before they went to the splash pad, according to the affidavit. The friend told police when they took Rich home, one of the children said he had to pee and pulled his pants down in the front yard.
That's when the man said he noticed bruises all over the child's buttocks, back and neck, according to the affidavit. The friend said he never believed the injuries happened the way Rich explained them.
Police: Dad accused of neglect, concocting ‘non-believable’ story
A couple told police they picked up a friend and his two children to take them to the Daleville splash park on Monday and they were mortified by the visible
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The mom is locked up.
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