SAPULPA, Okla. — The dad and stepmother of a teen with Down syndrome are facing charges of child neglect, according to an affidavit filed in the District Court of Creek County.
The suspects have been identified as 30-year-old Anna Aman and 36-year-old Joshua Pettitt, the affidavit said.
In September, Sapulpa Police Officer and School Resource Officer Sgt. Mike Sole was requested at Sapulpa Middle School regarding the concern of a 14-year-old, the affidavit said.
When Sole visited the school, he met with one of the teachers who revealed that the teen had been injured, according to the affidavit. In March, the teen received burn injuries to both knees that required specialized hospital treatment, including skin grafting.
Sole was also shown documentation from November regarding the teen's poor hygiene and suspected lack of medical care by their caretakers, according to the affidavit. In the documents, the teachers expressed that they had given the teen a shower and clean clothing before they could participate in the school day on an almost daily basis.
A teacher reported she had to keep the teen's backpack in a plastic tote with a lid to help contain the bugs that crawl out of their belongings, the affidavit said.
Sole was also shown digital images of the teen's unhealed burn injuries to their legs, according to the affidavit. The images also showed bugs that were stuck to the seeping wounds and what was described as "dirty, filthy, smelly clothes." The teacher also reported that the teen's leg wounds weren't properly wrapped or cared for, the report said.
Aman said the teen has not had health insurance or seen their primary physician for health care since March, according to the affidavit. Pettitt also confirmed that the teen doesn't have health insurance. Petiitt also said that he and Aman share responsibilities for the teen and care for four other juvenile children in their household, the affidavit said.
The family has been investigated by the DHS in at least three separate counties for reasons, including inadequate shelter and failure to protect, according to the affidavit.
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