Baltimore City School Police Officer charged with child abuse of stepdaughter

BALTIMORE -- A Baltimore City Public Schools Police officer is charged with the abuse of his stepdaughter, who he is accused of assaulting last week, according to a charging document obtained by WJZ. 

Gerard Owens, 48, is charged with second-degree child abuse and second-degree assault. He is now on paid leave with City Schools, WJZ learned. 

Owens is accused of choking his stepdaughter, in addition to verbal abuse. 

Officers responded last Saturday, Oct. 29, to the 3200 block of Northway Drive for a reported assault. Owens' wife told police that on Friday, Owens put both hands around her daughter's neck and choked her against a refrigerator after an argument. 

The woman told police she was able to pull Owens off the girl, and the assault ended there, but that there "has been a history of domestic violence several times," according to the document. She told police he had been increasingly aggressive to her children in the house. 

The girl, whose age was not disclosed, was taken to a pediatric emergency section at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Doctors could "not diagnose or exclude the abuse," the report said. 

The victims were later advised on how to get a protective order against Owens, police said. 

Owens worked with city schools for  more than 20 years, and at one point, he was driver for Baltimore City Public Schools CEO Dr. Sonya Santelises.

Police did not identify the mother or the child. However, WJZ spoke with the child's paternal grandmother who said the girl is now a senior in high school.

The child's mother moved from Memphis years ago and then married Owens.

WJZ's Ava-joye Burnett asked the grandmother if there had been any indication the child was having problems.

"Well as a grandmother, intuition, yes," the grandmother said. "That's me just having an intuition that you know, things that were going on but you know, you being a parent, you don't want to upset your child, you know. I could tell my granddaughter really didn't care for her mother's husband."

The grandmother said she was shocked to hear that the stepfather was accused of choking her granddaughter.

"I just want my granddaughter to be safe and let her know we care for her," the grandmother said.

The grandmother also said the child's mother is an educator.