A Vance father was booked into the Tuscaloosa County Jail on Monday after investigators accused him of repeatedly handcuffing a 5-year-old by the ankle to a bedframe and whipping another child who reported it. The allegations have not been proven in court.
David Wesley Phillips was arrested Nov. 9 and charged, according to court documents reported by WBMA, with aggravated child abuse of a child under six and child abuse/torture. He is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
What Investigators Allege
Investigators told WBMA the alleged handcuffing ran from July 10 through Aug. 17. Court documents said the child was sometimes restrained for several hours at a time and attributed ankle cuts, bruising and severe emotional trauma to that child.
A separate court filing alleged Phillips whipped one of his children after that child reported he had shackled the child's brother to a bedframe. Investigators also alleged he restricted both children's contact with friends and family, and their access to school and medical treatment, for months.
The August Home Visit
The case reached deputies through a school-enrollment check, not a custody hearing. On Aug. 17, deputies and a Tuscaloosa County schools official went to Phillips' home after he failed to enroll his two children, WBMA reported.
A Department of Human Resources social worker reported seeing chains hanging from a bedframe and pills spilled beneath the bed. Investigators observed scratches on a child's ankle consistent with the alleged handcuffing.
Tuscaloosa Thread reported that deputies, during a home visit in Vance, saw a handcuff still attached to the younger child's left ankle and scratches on the ankle from the cuff.
Custody and Bond
Court documents say DHR took custody of the children and initiated a safety plan. Tuscaloosa Thread likewise reported that the agency took custody of both children.
Bond information does not line up. WBMA reported that a court order on Nov. 10 set a $15,000 cash bond on the child abuse/torture charge and that no bond amount had been established on the separate aggravated child abuse charge. Tuscaloosa Thread, citing a jail website as of Tuesday night, reported that no bond had yet been set.
Both children were removed from the home months before the Nov. 9 arrest.
