Parents Face Abuse Charges After Children Turn Witnesses In Violent Domestic Dispute

A Nebraska couple has been arrested on domestic and child abuse charges after three of their six children admitted to having witnessed a violent dispute between the duo.

Joshua Heaton, 36, and Maria Ison, 32, were both charged with felony third-degree domestic assault and six counts of misdemeanor child abuse for exposing their six children aged 22 months to 10 years to a situation dangerous to their physical and mental health, reported news outlet Sioux City Journal.

Heaton was arrested on March 1 after one of the kids opened up about his/her parents' violent behavior to a school staff member.

Ison was arrested on March 11 and is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday. She also faces a count of tampering with a witness for allegedly telling some of the kids not to talk about the incident to the authorities, reported an NBC affiliate news outlet KTIV.

After the incident was reported by the school, the investigators interviewed three of the children and were told that they had witnessed the violent dispute between their parents that happened in late February. The violent assault reportedly started after Ison struck the youngest baby on his back and legs with an open hand.

Heaton then allegedly grabbed Ison and slammed her head against the wall several times. The children said that they also witnessed Ison kicking and hitting back Heaton in his legs and his stomach.

The children said that they were scared and cried helplessly as they could not get their parents to stop fighting. Ison showed the children the bump on her head and reportedly asked them not to talk about it to anyone.

During subsequent interviews with a child advocacy center, one of the children said that she has witnessed her parents fight numerous times. When asked about the dispute on that day, another child said, “Mom told me not to say anything.”

The investigators removed the children from home before the parents were arrested. The detectives could not find any injuries on the toddler.

It is estimated that more than ten million people experience domestic violence in the U.S. each year. It is also reported that 10 to 20% of children in the United States witness the abuse of a parent or caregiver annually.