Two parents are facing charges after Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officers walked into a home filled with broken glass, destroyed furniture and easy-to-reach knives and blow-torch lighters, with four children inside. Gabriel Antonio Santos-Funes and Maria Valladares now face charges including misdemeanor child abuse following the discovery in the city's Hickory Ridge area.
The discovery happened Wednesday, according to the Charlotte Observer, which reported that nearly every piece of furniture and decor inside the home had been destroyed. Officers also found multiple broken items and blood droplets scattered through the residence, the paper reported, along with glass, sharp objects, large knives and blow-torch lighters left within reach inside the living area.
Four children were in the home at the time officers responded: ages 14, 11, 5 and 3, according to WSOC-TV. The station reported that court documents tied the response to a caller who said the home's occupants were burning items and performing black magic rituals. Investigators did not report that any of the children suffered injuries, the Observer noted.
Parents Allegedly Fought Officers During Arrest
The arrest itself turned violent, according to the station's report. Valladares attempted to bite officers, while Santos-Funes allegedly managed to grab a baton from an officer and tried to strike him with it. A firefighter who responded to the scene was also bitten during the encounter and suffered injuries to his arm, the Observer reported.
Santos-Funes, 35, was charged with several offenses, including assault with a deadly weapon on a government official and common-law robbery, per the same account. Valladares, 33, was charged with misdemeanor assault on a government official. The two parents face multiple charges stemming from the incident, including the child abuse count against both.
What North Carolina Law Says About Child Abuse Charges
Under North Carolina law, child abuse is addressed by General Statute 14-318.4, titled Child abuse a felony, which applies to a parent or any other person responsible for a child's care or supervision when that child is under 16. Separately, the North Carolina Judicial Branch explains that judges can issue what's known as an emergency custody order, or ex parte order, on a short-term basis without first hearing from the other parent, in limited situations that can include a substantial risk of bodily injury, according to the North Carolina Judicial Branch.
A Painful Backdrop in East Charlotte
This case lands in a part of the city still reeling from another child-welfare tragedy earlier this year. In February, three women — Tery'n McKnight, Tonya McKnight and Susan Robinson — were charged with first-degree murder in the death of 6-year-old Dominque Moody, according to WBTV. That outlet reported that police had visited the Gwynne Hill Road home where Moody lived almost 50 times before her death, and that social workers had logged five separate reports of alleged abuse or neglect involving the home.
This case lands in a part of the city still reeling from another child-welfare tragedy earlier this year. In February, three women — Tery'n McKnight, Tonya McKnight and Susan Robinson — were charged with first-degree murder in the death of 6-year-old Dominque Moody, according to WBTV. That outlet reported that police had visited the Gwynne Hill Road home where Moody lived almost 50 times before her death, and that social workers had logged five separate reports of alleged abuse or neglect involving the home. WSOC reported that two of the older children remained at the residence after the arrests with adult family members or guardians. Officers found extensive destruction inside the home. For now, the case against Santos-Funes and Valladares is separate from the February case involving Dominque Moody.
