Brown County Sheriff’s Office

• Gross misdemeanor and misdemeanor malicious punishment of a child charges were filed Oct. 12 against Helen I. Beto, 30, 300 6th Ave. S.E., Sleepy Eye. An arrest warrant was requested.

According to court documents, Sleepy Eye Police investigator Shawn Bohnen received a report of a juvenile victim alleged hit with an object by the first victim’s mother and reportedly had a large welt on her upper left arm. The first victim said another sibling was hit with the object and that Beto told her she can’t tell anyone, or she would hurt them even worse.

Bohnen interviewed the first victim who said she lives in an apartment with her mom, her mom’s boyfriend and the the second victim.

When asked if there was anything that worries her at home, she said her “mom accidentally hit her with the backscratcher” and she has a triangle bruise, and the other victim has a a circle bruise.

The first victim showed a red bruise on her left outer bicep and her mother told her not to let anyone see it or tell anyone and that she would do it again if she showed or told.

The first victim said her mother makes her stand in a corner with her arms up or behind her back and her mother hit her and the other victim with the backscratcher because she and the second victim were messing with Beto’s stuff, playing with her hair spray.

In a voluntary interview, Beto told Bohnen she does not beat her children, would not hurt them and that she did not see bruises on the first victim and the marks on the second victim’s wrist and arm were from playing football.

Beto told Bohnen she disciplines her children by taking away their electronics and grounding them, does not get physical with them and denied having hair spray in her apartment, but said she has dry aerosol shampoo.