SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, July 14, 2022 (Gephardt Daily) — Two children have been hospitalized with multiple serious injuries and a man and two women responsible for their care have been booked into jail on 19 counts each of aggravated child abuse — intentional or knowingly.
Charged with the the crimes, each a second-degree felony, are 31-year-old Randee Alan Coon, 32-year-old Laurie Ann Hackett, and 52-year-old Kerri Ann Pavlica.
The injuries
The children, boys age 6 and 17, were transported to Primary Children’s Hospital for treatment.
After preliminary examinations, the old boy was found to have fractured vertebrae, injured ribs, two puncture wounds and bruises on his back, black eyes and multiple other bruises on his face, and scalp swelling.
The 6-year-old boy was found to have a burn on his face, a laceration to his kidney and liver, swelling around his pancreas, a healing fracture of the lower sternum, fractured vertebrae, injured ribs, swelling around his ribs and on his scalp, bruising and swelling around his genitals, fluid around the lung and blood in his eye.
Salt Lake City police were alerted to the abuse on Tuesday, and responded to the emergency room at Primary Children’s.
“The 17-year-old victim stated that all three A/Ps held the victim down, punched him in the groin, stabbed him with a knife and beat him with a pipe,” the suspects’ probable cause statements say.
“The 6-year-old victim identified one of the A/P’s as being involved in the abuse. Future interviews to be conducted with victims.”
The arrests
The three suspects were brought in for questioning. Post Miranda, Coon and Hackett disclosed “that all three A/Ps (arrested people) had knowledge of and/or participated in the abuse of the two victims while in their care for approximately the last four weeks.
“A/P Coon admitted to hitting the victims and witnessing the other two A/Ps hit the victims. A/P Coon also admitted to choking one of the victims. And admitted to having knowledge that the tip of a torch lighter was used to burn one of the victims. This A/P also admitted to having knowledge that scissors were used as punishment if victims were unable to maintain a push-up position.”
Hackett “admitted to touching the victims face with the torch but indicated it was accidental. Hackett said she saw the other female suspect binding one of the victim’s wrists with rope, and said one of the victim’s facial bruising was from running into a table, the nearly identical probable cause statements say.
“Hackett admitted that she hit one of the victims with a metal bar and observed A/P Coon strike one of the victims several times.”
The probable cause statements, filed by an officer of the Salt Lake City Police Department, also states that the suspects were located in a newly purchased van and had abandoned their previous vehicle.
Coon, Hackett and Pavlica are being held without bail.
