An investigation involving two sheriff's departments resulted in the arrest of a Linton woman last Friday on two felony counts, one for neglect of a dependent and the other for battery on a child under the age of 14.

Jennifer Nicole Doane, 31, Linton, was arrested by Detective Shawn Cullison of the Greene County Sheriff's Department last Friday, October 14.

On Tuesday, October 11, GCSD Deputy Caleb Sipes got a report from the Montgomery County Sheriff's Department about a child being battered. Deputy Sipes talked with MCSD Deputy Bradley Howell who told him a woman had reported that her grandson, under the age of 14, had bruises on his body and that the child's mother, Jennifer Doane, had beat the child on Sunday, October 9, then brought the child to the grandmother to keep. The woman said Doane and the child lived on West Parker Street in Linton.

According to a probable cause affidavit filed by Detective Cullison in this case, Deputy Howell told Deputy Sipes that he had talked to the child who said Doane had held him down and hit him several times and that he had taken photographs of the child's injuries. Those photographs were sent to Deputy Sipes showing large bruises on the child's chin and a small bruise on the child's arm.

This report also made its way to the Greene County Department of Child Services (DCS) and on Friday, October 14, a DCS caseworker contacted Detective Cullison to tell him that Doane had picked the child up from Montgomery County and returned to Linton. She asked him to go with her to speak with the child and check on his welfare.

Detective Cullison and the DCS caseworker arrived at the Doane residence around 10:20 AM. They first talked to Doane on the front porch who allegedly said parts of the report that was made were not true, however, she admitted that she hit the child. She allegedly said that she was sitting on the floor messing with crayons when the child kept calling her stupid, told her to shut up and was cussing at her and she hit him on the left side of the neck and chin area, maybe twice, and that she tried to hit the child in the face but his hand was in the way. The DCS caseworker then clarified with Doane that she was trying to hit him in the mouth and Doane allegedly said she was going to “pop him in the mouth because he was cussing at me.”  She also said before this happened, she told the child and her husband that she was about to snap saying “if someone is sitting there cussing at you, telling you to shut up, you snap, you just lose it.”

Doane then agreed to let Deputy Cullison and the DCS caseworker talk to the child at the residence. When asked what happened, the child explained they were arguing and his mom got really, really mad and tried to warn the father that she was getting ready to blow. When Doane got up, the child said he ran into the kitchen and Doane chased after him and pinned him down by the washer and dryer. When asked what happened after she pinned him down, the child allegedly said she kept hitting him in the face with her hand that felt like a closed fist, about five times.

Detective Cullison reported that at this time the child still had a bruise on his chin and neck area.

Later that day, when Detective Cullison interviewed the father at the sheriff's department, he confirmed that he was sitting on the couch when Doane and the child started arguing. He allegedly said the child ran to the kitchen and Doane chased after him and he could hear the ruckus but by the time he got into the kitchen it was over. He also said that during the ruckus he could hear the child telling Doane that he was sorry.

Doane was taken into custody and transported to the Greene County Sheriff's Department where she was booked into the Greene County Jail around 12:25 PM with bond set at $14,000 surety with 10% cash allowed.

A public defender was appointed to represent Doane when she appeared in Greene Superior Court for her initial hearing yesterday, Tuesday, October 18.

Doane has been charged with:

• Battery resulting in bodily injury to a person under the age of 14, a Level 5 felony, and

• Neglect of a dependent—defendant placed dependent in a situation that endangered the dependent, a Level 6 felony.