Tag: Child Abuse

Mohammed Ur Rahman hits wife & 4-year-old son with bat after she tells their kids “We should just take poison and kill ourselves”

E.Z Emerson

39-year-old Mohammed Aijas Ur Rahman had a domestic disturbance with his wife and mother of his children, Aliyah Raeesa Taher, and their 4-year-old son at their Thistle Lane apartment on September 8th. On September 10th, Taher spoke with authorities and stated that she initially called them regarding a verbal dispute that got loud but never physical. However, while on the scene, Taher informed officers of an incident on September 8th. Taher went into detail, stating that she and Ur Rahman had returned home from the Opry Mills Mall. Taher explained that earlier that night, they argued about him disciplining their 4-year-old son by slapping him in the face.

She told the police that an hour later, she went upstairs with the children and said, “We should just take poison and kill ourselves,” referring to getting away from Ur Rahman’s alleged abuse. Then, Taher said that Ur Rahman heard her say that and ran up the stairs with a plastic bat. Ur Rahman then used the bat to strike their 4-year-old. She explained that when she tried to intervene and stop Ur Rahman, he swung the bat and hit her as well. Taher provided officers with photos showing her with dark bruising on her hand and their son with dark bruising on his upper left arm. When officers spoke with Ur Rahman, he stated he did not mean to hit Taher with the bat but intended to discipline their son. He admitted to being enraged when it happened and offered to locate the bat but could not find it. Taher informed the police that she did not wish to press charges. However, due to the injuries she and their child sustained, officers prosecuted on their behalf. Ur Rahman was taken into custody for domestic assault and child abuse on September 11th.

Jeriane Minor jailed after assaulting daughter & destroying her phone during altercation

E.Z Emerson

34-year-old Jeriane Alexus Minor had a domestic altercation with her juvenile daughter at their 14th Avenue South residence shortly after midnight on August 17th. Jeriane called 911, stating her daughter was running around slamming doors inside the house because she had gotten her phone taken away. Officers arrived and spoke with Jeriane, who told them that she confiscated her daughter’s phone after she had been screaming and acting up for hours. Then, Jeriane further explained that she initially “whooped” her daughter with a belt and told her to go to bed. However, her daughter did not calm down and grabbed her sister’s phone despite not being allowed to. Jeriane stated that after her daughter grabbed her sister’s phone, her sister began crying. After this, Jeriane said she told her daughter to stop yelling several times and to sleep in the living room. Jeriane then grabbed a wrench and smashed her daughter’s phone as punishment. Jeriane told officers that this caused her daughter to become more upset and charge at her. Jeriane said she believed her daughter was attacking her, so she struck her once in the face. Her daughter responded by balling her fists up and acting as if she would fight Jeriane. Then, Jeriane stated that her son tried holding her daughter back to keep them from each other. After this, Jeriane mentioned that her boyfriend, Ronald Pillo, was present for the incident but was unclear about his actions. Pillo tried retrieving the phone from her daughter after she tried leaving the house with it. Jeriane added that she grabbed her daughter’s shirt as she was leaving the residence and attempted to get her cell phone. Then, after her daughter left, Jeriane locked the door so she could not return inside. Jeriane told the police that she eventually opened the door for her daughter because she was outside screaming and she was afraid of waking up their neighbors. Jeriane said that after this, she had called 911.

Officers then spoke with Jeriane’s son, who agreed with his mother’s version of events. He stated that he held his sister back from assaulting his mother. He added that Jeriane hit his sister with her fist and not the wrench she was holding. After this, the police spoke with Jeriane’s daughter, who stated that she and her brother were arguing but that Jeriane only scolded her. Then, Jeriane’s daughter said she went to her room following the dispute. She added that her mother entered her bedroom and started arguing with her before taking her phone away. Jeriane’s daughter said her mother told her to lie down, but she went outside for forty minutes instead. Then, Jeriane’s daughter told officers that after she returned from outside, she wanted to use the TV. However, she explained that she needed to use a phone as a remote since the TV’s remote did not work. Jeriane’s daughter stated she then used her sister’s phone, which made her sister cry and tell their mother about it. After this, she said that Jeriane hit her with a belt about four times. She noted that this left visible marks on her right wrist, left bicep, and right thigh. She added that Jeriane then told her to sleep on the couch. Jeriane’s daughter stated that she started arguing with her brother again, after which Jeriane damaged her cell phone as punishment. Then, Jeriane’s daughter said she went onto the porch for about three minutes. She stated that when she came back inside, Jeriane punched her in the face three times. Jeriane’s daughter added that her mother was holding something in her fist and that part of it was impacting her face during the strikes. She went into detail, stating that she was punched once in the left eye, once in the right eye, and then the mouth. Officers observed bruising, redness, and swelling consistent with her account of being struck by a belt and Jeriane’s fist. When NFD medics arrived to inspect Jeriane’s daughter, they determined it would be best if she went to the hospital. Then, Jeriane agreed to let her daughter go to Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital and said she would rather sleep than accompany her. Officers were advised to arrest Minor and contact DCS to ensure a guardian was present for the juveniles. Minor was later taken into custody for child abuse on August 19th.

Halima Bilal bites niece for disrespecting her

Brodie Martin

According to the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, 19-year-old Halima Bilal abused her 14-year-old niece at their Parkway Drive residence on June 14th. Law enforcement received a report from dispatch that the victim called in, stating that her aunt was attacking her and that her family was trying to stop her. When officers arrived, they separated the victim and Bilal. While splitting them up, officers noticed that Bilal had a bite mark on her right shoulder. Bilal stated that she and her niece were arguing because she was disrespectful towards her. Bilal informed officers that she put her hands on her niece’s face and pushed her during the argument, which led to a fight between them. Bilal stated that family members held her back while her niece was still hitting her, so once she broke free, she bit her niece in the back since she bit first. Bilal claimed she was trying to discipline her niece due to her lack of respect. Halima Bilal was taken into custody and charged with child abuse.

Jasmine Caruthers sprays mace inside home with two babies present

E.Z Emerson

22-year-old Jasmine Caruthers was taken into custody on April 14th when officers were dispatched to a Walsh Street residence, where they observed three broken windows with mace sprayed inside two of them. After they knocked on the door to announce their presence, Donte Wilson, Cierra Wood, and two infants less than a year old came outside with shirts covering their faces. Officers noticed the children had extremely runny noses and red faces. Wilson stated that Caruthers had thrown rocks at the windows and sprayed mace inside their home. He added that he and Wood grabbed the kids and hid in a room away from the broken windows until Caruthers left. Officers were advised that Wilson and Caruthers share a child, who was inside the residence during the incident.

DUI: Crystal Fennell whips children while high on drugs at Waffle House

Lashaya Williams

41-year-old Crystal Fennell was jailed on March 3rd after complaints of a woman pushing her kids and swinging a whip at them inside the Waffle House on Old Hickory Boulevard. Witnesses stated that Fennell had entered the restaurant with two children and began behaving erratically. During this time, the witness observed Fennell push both children and swing a whip at them. Officers tried to speak with Fennell, but she wasn’t making sense. From their professional experience, the officers believed that Fennell was under the influence of either meth or cocaine due to her behavior. Officers determined the abused children were ages 5 and 6 and belonged to Fennell. Officers also discovered that she was in possession of a multi-lashed whip.

 Multiple complainants stated they saw Fennell arrive, driving a white Chevrolet suburban. Officers decided that it was unsafe for Fennell to perform sobriety tests due to her fidgeting and constant pulling away, fearing Fennell would run into traffic.

 When Fennell was arrested, she began complaining of chest pains, to which officers requested an ambulance. While at Nashville General Hospital, she admitted to drinking some alcohol and then spat in Officer Heaton’s face. Crystal Fennell was taken into custody on March 3rd for assault on an officer, DUI with a child, and two counts of child abuse.

Ryan Sosa charged with child abuse after infant daughter sustains life-threatening injuries

E.Z Emerson

33-year-old Ryan Manuel Sosa was taken into custody for aggravated child abuse on February 15th. On February 12th, officers arrived at Sosa’s residence on Dodson Chapel Road, responding to reports of a 5-month-old female infant not breathing. CPR was attempted before the child was transported to Centennial Children’s Hospital, where she was diagnosed with multiple internal injuries. The injuries include diffuse cerebral edema, subarachnoid and subdural hemorrhages on her head in multiple places, a fracture to her distal tibia, and retinal hemorrhages in both eyes. Dr. Turner advised officers that the injuries were consistent with non-accidental trauma and are life-threatening. On February 15th, they interviewed Sosa, who stated he was home alone with the child while her mother was at work. Initially, Sosa told officers he went to pick the child up from her bassinet after noticing her head in the pillow. He then blew in her mouth and carried her into his bedroom. After explaining the injuries to Sosa, he told detectives that she also fell off the bed, which may have caused them. Sosa was taken into custody and charged with aggravated child abuse on February 15th.

Jared Taylor charged with attempted murder of his infant daughter

Jason Steen

25-year-old Jared Taylor is charged with the attempted murder of his infant daughter. The child’s grandmother heard crying at 7:30 p.m. on July 1 and walked in on Taylor while he was standing over the child. He was pressing the child’s head into the bed, appearing to suffocate her. She screamed at him, and he stopped but “appeared unfazed.” He initially claimed he was placing a blanket over the child, but later admitted he was trying to get her to stop crying. He stated he was “not using his full body weight because that would probably snap her neck.” Taylor is jailed in lieu of a $175,000 bond.

Tonya Plunkett jailed after striking her infant with a switch

Jason Steen

20-year-old Tonya Plunkett is charged with felony child abuse after admitting to striking her infant child with a switch. Medics responded to her home when she reported she was experiencing fatigue after her pregnancy, and responding medics observed numerous injuries across the male infant’s body. She told medics she “don’t whoop him hard.” She is free on a $7,500 bond.

Steffany Hamner abandons child in downtown Nashville after assaulting her with boot

Jason Steen

Nashville police say 41-year-old Steffany Rose Hamner was at several bars on Broadway in downtown Nashville Saturday with her 13-year-old daughter. As they were walking at 2nd & Broadway, they were “playing” by grabbing each other’s hair. Steffany fell down during the tussle, and when she stood up, she told her daughter, “I’m gonna beat you!” She then removed her boot and began to strike the victim several times, leaving visible injuries on the juvenile. After the assault, Steffany abandoned her daughter in the Entertainment District without a phone or any supervision and without the address of their AirBNB. Medics transported the child to the hospital, and Hamner was located and jailed on charges of domestic assault and child neglect.

Amany Megali says she bit her child’s arm because he wouldn’t listen to her commands

Jason Steen

30-year-old Amany Megali told detectives during an interview that she bit the arm of her six-year-old son, breaking the skin and leaving a substantial injury, because he was “refusing to listen to her commands.” The Department of Children’s Services and Metro Nashville Police became involved when the child’s father took his son to Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital after he complained of arm pain and stated his mother bit him.