Police: Mother Forced 9-Year-Old Daughter To Steal And Beat Her If She Refused
WESTMORELAND COUNTY (KDKA) -- Investigators say a woman made her 9-year-old daughter steal from local stores and beat her if she refused.
But the suspect's boyfriend says the accusations are lies cooked up by the suspect's ex-husband.
Wara Wara Kanban Cha is charged with serious and disturbing accusations of child abuse.
"He became suspicious of his daughter being abused," Greensburg Police Captain Robert Stafford said. "He started keeping track of the injuries and taking pictures."
The victim told her father and police that her mother's abuse was regular, with a few of the incidents occurring at Walmart and Targets in the Greensburg area.
The 40-year-old is accused of telling her child to steal items and hid them.
Officials say she was beaten if she refused.
"She did make the statement that she was always hungry, and she asked her mother for dinner. She got mad, struck her and said she wasn't eating," Robert Stafford said.
"Every bit of it is fabricated," said Barry Brown, the suspect's boyfriend. "None of it's true."
Brown said his girlfriend would never hit her child and the accusations are bogus.
"She's afraid of her dad. So she'll do anything her dad tells her to say," Brown said.
The mother is charged with multiple counts, including simple assault and endangering the welfare of a child.
This young girl is with her father.