Charles City woman charged with child endangerment

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

A Charles City woman has been arrested after allegedly causing severe injuries to a child living in the same home, according to court records filed in Floyd County.

Samantha Ann Slaughter, age 37, was arrested March 24 on a charge of child endangerment resulting in serious injury, allegedly committed at a residence in Charles City on Feb. 13. She was ordered held on $20,000 cash bond in her name only at her initial appearance.

The age, gender and the relationship of the child to Slaughter are not identified in the court records. The child is identified only by initials.

According to the criminal complaint filed by the Charles City Police Department, Slaughter physically assaulted the child by “forcefully grabbing their face, force feeding them food, shaking and jerking their face and head, hitting them in their face with their own hands, forcing them to the floor by grabbing their neck, and slamming them onto the floor.”

The document does not indicate where the child was seen by medical service providers, but contains a medical description of the injuries and attributes a prognosis to “medical staff.”

The report says that in addition to facial bruising and swelling the child sustained “head petechiae, multi-layered bilateral retinal hemorrhages, subdural hematoma, and subarachnoid hematomas,” referring to spots on the scalp or face caused by blood vessels breaking under the skin, bleeding in both eyes, a buildup of blood between the scalp and the brain, and bleeding in the space around the brain.

Treatment included removing part of the child’s skull to relieve pressure on the brain and inserting a nasal feeding tube, the report said.

“According to the medical staff, the minor’s long-term prognosis will likely include varying deficits, some of which appear to be permanent,” the criminal complaint said.

Assistant Iowa Attorney General Israel Kodiaga has entered an appearance in the case at the request of Floyd County Attorney Todd Prichard, who also filed a motion seeking a no-contact order between Slaughter and the child.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 4 at the Floyd County Courthouse in Charles City, unless a formal trial information is filed before that date, in which case the next hearing will be an arraignment and the date and time will be included in the trial information.

Child endangerment resulting in serious injury is a Class C felony in Iowa and carries a maximum sentence of a fine and up to 10 years in prison.