A Starkville woman is in jail after officers arrested her for suspected abuse in the negligence of a child and vulnerable adult.
Starkville Police Department arrested 26-year-old April Triplett Monday on suspicion of contributing to the neglect or delinquency of a child; felonious abuse and/or battery of a child. According to the release, the child abuse charge falls under Mississippi Code Sec. 97-5-39(2)(a)(v), which says that someone is guilty of felony child abuse if they “starve a child of nourishments needed to sustain life or growth.”
An affidavit The Dispatch obtained from Starkville Municipal Court adds that Triplett allegedly “strapped said child into a car seat for a period of approximately five hours.” The affidavit said the child is 2 years old.
Triplett is also facing a misdemeanor charge of neglect or exploitation of a vulnerable adult. That charge, according to the release, falls under Mississippi Code Sec. 43-47-19(2)(a), which says defines abuse, neglect or exploitation of a vulnerable person as anything that can contribute to the “neglect, physical pain, injury, mental anguish, unreasonable confinement or deprivation of services which are necessary to maintain the mental or physical health of a vulnerable person.”
The affidavit says Triplett “intentionally” stopped “feeding, changing and turning” the vulnerable person, contributing to neglect.
SPD’s release says the charges are related to the neglect of a juvenile and a vulnerable adult on Washington Street.
Triplett has been booked in the Oktibbeha County Jail. She is scheduled to have an initial appearance in municipal court at 2 p.m. today.
Alex Holloway was formerly a reporter with The Dispatch.
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