Published: June 26, 2009 12:10 am      

Edmond woman arrested on child abuse warrant

EDMOND — A Texas man and an Edmond woman have been arrested in alleged abuse involving an 8-year-old girl and a 4-year-old boy, police said.

On June 12, Edmond Police arrested Bonni Lauren Coates, 29, of Edmond, and Dontreil Nahareem Daniel, 31, of Las Colinas, Texas, on outstanding Oklahoma County warrants for child abuse, according to police reports.

The case includes a June 6 call to the 300 block of Nimrod Road in reference to child abuse.

On that day, police were flagged down by Daniel about a girl missing for about 30 minutes. Police told him they knew where the child was and that someone had called the Police Department about possible child abuse.

Police said punishment inflicted on one or both of the children included spanking with a belt, making them go to “time out” and standing with their arms extended. Police said that previous night, one of the children urinated, but Daniel allegedly would not let them change because it was part of their punishment.

Police also noticed several large severe bruises on the backs of the legs of one of the children. One child also had been spanked for mispronouncing a word, police said.

The children were taken into protective custody and examined at Edmond Medical Center, where the boy was found to have a burn on his shoulder, possibly from a hot liquid or curling iron, police said. After the examinations, they were taken to an Oklahoma City shelter.

Police Department spokeswoman Glynda Chu said the abuse was unfounded.

“You wouldn’t treat an animal this way, certainly not a child,” Chu said. “As parents, they look to you for love, protection and guidance, and while discipline is up to the parent, you cannot beat your children.”

Thursday, Daniel was in the Oklahoma County Jail. His bond was set at $10,000. Coates also was in the county jail. Her bond was set at $20,000.

Not every incident leads to a charge under the law. If charges are filed, innocence or guilt is determined by a court of law.



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