TABOR CITY, NC (WWAY) — The Columbus County Sheriff’s Office is commending the staff at Williams Township School for speaking up after they noticed a 7-year-old student was badly bruised. Now, a woman is charged with child abuse.
On March 12, the sheriff’s office received a referral from the Columbus County Department of Social Services in reference to child abuse.
During a recent tornado drill, school personnel saw a child with bruising on their lower back.
“The child was found to have severe bruising and scratches on the back, bruising on the buttocks, sides, and between the thighs,” a news release states. “The child also sustained a bleeding, busted bottom lip.”
CCSO says investigators learned that Christina Angelique Formyduval, 37, of Tabor City, had repeatedly hit the child with a belt and homemade paddle. Formyduval is also accused of hitting the child in the mouth with her hand. Deputies say these incidents happened in early March.
On Wednesday, the sheriff’s office arrested Formyduval at the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office Law Enforcement Center. Formyduval was charged with three felony counts of intentional child abuse inflicting serious injury.
She received a $6,000 unsecured bond.
The investigation is ongoing with the Columbus County Department of Social Services.
“The Williams Township School personnel are heroes,” CCSO wrote in the release. “They used their experience and listened to their intuition to assist this child, who needed someone to be their voice. The school personnel did so without hesitation. The courage and love these professionals showed for this child proves that the love they have for their students extends far beyond the classrooms and the walls of the school.”
