HOT SPRINGS -- A woman arrested last year for abusing her 4-year-old daughter, including zip-tying her to furniture, was sentenced to 10 years in prison Tuesday after pleading guilty to felony charges in Garland County Circuit Court.
Jennifer Diane Denen, 31, of Hot Springs pleaded guilty to first-degree domestic battery and was sentenced to 10 years, and to first-degree endangering the welfare of a minor and was sentenced to five years, with the sentences to run concurrently. An additional felony charge of permitting the abuse of a child was withdrawn by prosecutors.
Denen's boyfriend, Clarence Eugene Reed, 48, pleaded guilty to the same charges March 7 and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Denen and Reed have remained in custody since their arrests in lieu of $100,000 bonds.
Neither Denen nor Reed had any prior felony history. Garland County deputy prosecutor Shana Alexander had said after Reed's sentencing that the victim and some of her siblings were turned over to the custody of her biological father, and that he and other relatives were pleased with the conviction and sentence, and that they would not have to testify.
According to the affidavit, Hot Springs police officers responded to the Cooper-Anthony Mercy Child Advocacy Center on Aug. 12, 2016, after Arkansas Department of Human Services workers and center employees examined the 4-year-old girl and determined she had been abused.
The girl had deep purple bruising on her bottom, lower back and legs; a black eye; a swollen right cheek; a bruise on her forehead; healing scars across her back; and dried blood in the corner of her mouth, according to the affidavit. The girl also had ligature marks on her wrists indicating she had been restrained, and appeared to be malnourished.
It was noted when asked her name by police, the girl responded "idiot." Another child who reportedly lived at the residence told police the girl had been tied up at the house and that they called her "idiot" rather than her name.
Denen and Reed were present at the center and were taken to the Police Department for questioning. Denen told detectives she had seen Reed strike the girl on her buttocks with a plastic bat. She also said another child in the home had told her Reed tied the girl to a chair using a plastic zip tie.
Denen admitted she did not seek medical care for the injuries to the girl. She also told police that Reed had referred to the girl as "idiot" on a regular basis in her presence.
Reed admitted to hitting the girl on the buttocks using a wooden paddle approximately a half-inch thick. He also admitted he and Denen used zip ties to secure the girl to the bed "after she was found climbing on the cabinets in the kitchen."
Reed also admitted to calling the girl "idiot" but said he only did it "in jest."
State Desk on 04/13/2017