Rhea County woman faces abuse charges in scalding of toddler's feet

Jennifer Vaughn. Photo contributed by Rhea County Sheriff's Office.
Jennifer Vaughn. Photo contributed by Rhea County Sheriff's Office.

A Rhea County, Tennessee, woman is facing multiple charges for allegedly burning the feet of a 2-and-a-half-year-old girl in scalding water as discipline.

Rhea County authorities first learned of the injuries on Aug. 11 after officials at Children's Hospital at Erlanger notified them that a child had come in with "sock burns," so called for the location of the burns, according to Rhea County Sheriff's Office Detective Rocky Potter.

Jennifer E. Vaughn, 54, was charged on Aug. 19 with one count of aggravated child abuse. Since then, she has received additional charges of aggravated child abuse and aggravated child neglect after a grand jury heard the case and issued more indictments in October.

The additional indictments are related to circumstances involved in the allegations, not additional incidents.

Potter said that because of the girl's age, the case will be prosecuted under the 2005 state statute called Haley's Law, which stiffens the penalties for cases involving children younger than 8. The statute makes the offense a class A felony in a conviction.

Vaughn, a relative of the girl, was caring for the child. She allegedly gave a statement to police "admitting to the abuse," Potter said.

"The injuries to [the toddler's] skin were just unreal," Potter said.

"[Vaughn] used scalding hot water as a disciplinary measure," he said of allegations. "She called the mother and told her, 'You better come get your daughter. She's burned herself.' Mom comes and gets her and sees the skin all blistered and bubbled up on her feet and ankles."

The toddler is now being treated at Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville, he said, adding that she has undergone "numerous skin grafts and they're starting to take, and she's still in the healing process and starting to learn to put pressure on her feet."

"We've got a pretty good outlook that she'll be able to walk again," he added.

According to the indictments, Vaughn is charged with aggravated child abuse because she allegedly "treated [the girl], a child eight (8) years of age or less, in such a manner as to inflict injury and the act of abuse resulted in serious bodily injury" to the child.

She is also charged with aggravated child abuse because she allegedly inflicted injury "by means of a deadly weapon or dangerous instrumentality."

The third charge is for aggravated child abuse of a child less than 8 years of age, "said act being especially heinous, atrocious or cruel or involved the infliction of torture," according to the indictment.

Vaughn faces a fourth charge of aggravated child neglect.

Jeff Harmon, 12th Judicial District public defender, said Tuesday that Vaughn's case had just been assigned to his office.

"We're still in the very preliminary stages," Harmon said. No hearings have been scheduled yet in the case.

Records show Vaughn remains in jail on a $150,000 cash bond.

Contact Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6569. Follow him on Twitter @BenBenton or at www.facebook.com/benbenton1.

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