Melissa Keister, 37, of
New Columbia, Pa. has been accused of starving and beating a young foster girl
in her care. Police say the girl was severely underweight and motionless. Keister
is accused of starving the girl and making her drink vinegar until she threw up
when she was caught sneaking food.
Investigators say the
child was forced to stay within a taped square in her bedroom with an alarm on
the door. She had to sleep naked on the floor. Keister is also accused of
hitting the child and banging her head repeatedly on the corner of a desk.
"The little girl
would run laps around the house to be disciplined. She would say, 'I'll behave
myself, I'll listen, or I won't do that,' the whole time she was running,"
said neighbor Julie Kyle.
Keister has been charged
with child endangerment. She has no previous record so at worst, she’ll get a suspended
sentence.
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Two former Dearborn
County foster parents were convicted of multiple counts of abuse against
children in their care. Diane Combs, 56, pleaded guilty to multiple counts
including aggravated battery and will serve 20 years in prison followed by 12
years of probation.
She was originally
charged with:
Aggravated battery and
knowingly inflicting injury that creates a substantial risk of death
Domestic battery against
a disabled person causing bodily injury
Domestic battery with
bodily injury to a person under 14 years old
Battery on a child
Domestic battery by
bodily waste
Battery by bodily waste
when the victim is 14 years old, strangulation
Sexual battery.
Timothy Combs, 60,
pleaded guilty to three counts of battery and will serve 18 years in prison
with five years suspended.
He was originally
charged with:
Aggravated battery that
causes serious permanent disfigurement
Domestic battery against
a disabled person with bodily injury
Battery resulting in
bodily injury of a person under 14 years old
Domestic battery
committed in the presence of a child younger than 16 years old.
The prosecutor’s office
released video of the Combs’ that shows the couple hitting and using vulgar
language directed at the young children in their care. The video was taken by
an older teenage child in the couple’s care. She took the video after seeing
Diane Combs kick a 6-year-old in the face, causing the child to fall back about
three feet and cry.
The child you can heard
to cough, gasp, and say “ow.”
Diane Combs then says,
“I don’t give a s---. Get up,” as she undresses him, picks up his naked body by
his neck and places him on the side of the recliner, with a diaper in his
mouth.
She then says, “now
squat,” and slaps the boy in the face, knocking him to the ground in front of
the other young boy and says, “dumb little b------.”
Another video clip shows
Timothy Combs pick up the 4-year-old boy by his left wrist, drop him to the
ground, kick him, then say, “get up," a court official says.
Diane Combs, will serve
20 years in prison followed by 12 years of probation. Timothy Combs, and will
serve 18 years in prison with five years suspended.