A North Carolina mother coached her children to make false statements during an abuse investigation to protect her boyfriend, deputies said.
Erica Barber and her 33-year-old boyfriend, Tony Lee Creekmore, both face charges following an investigation near Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, court records show.
On July 9, deputies first noticed red marks and bruises on a seven-year-old child’s legs while responding to a domestic call, according to the sheriff’s office.
A closer examination found injuries spread across much of the child’s body, deputies said. Several of the marks were shaped like an electrical plug, which investigators believe came from an extension cord, according to court documents.
The child identified Creekmore as the person responsible for the injuries, according to investigators.
The seven-year-old received treatment at a local medical center, deputies said.
Following that treatment, the child remained in Barber’s custody, according to authorities.
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Deputies arrested Creekmore and charged him with felony intentional child abuse inflicting serious physical injury, court records show.
A judge later released Creekmore under conditions barring him from Barber and her children, court documents state. But detectives allegedly found Creekmore with the mother and the children again, according to investigators.
A continued investigation also uncovered another child with a bruise and knot on their forehead, deputies said. Investigators believe Creekmore caused those injuries by striking the child, according to the sheriff’s office.
Barber allegedly tried to help Creekmore avoid punishment by having her children make false statements during a forensic interview, according to investigators.
On September 1, deputies arrested the mother while she attended court, according to the sheriff’s office. Authorities charged Barber with aiding and abetting and accessory after the fact, court records show.
Creekmore now faces additional charges of misdemeanor child abuse and violating a court order, according to court documents.
As of September 3, deputies had not arrested Creekmore on the new warrants, according to the sheriff’s office.
Barber was denied bail and has a September 15 court date, court records show.
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