Des Moines mother arrested after abuse is caught on camera
By Web Staff
Click here for updates on this story
DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) — A Des Moines mother is facing charges after witnesses captured video of her abusing her son at a gas station.
Rejanie Morris is charged with child endangerment and two counts of assault.
Witnesses spotted Morris yelling at her young son on Sept. 12 at the Quick Trip on Hubbell Avenue. Michael Lomax was in the store with his fiancee, Arkeya Quinn, and said the yells escalated to Morris hitting her son.
“The child is screaming for his life,” Lomax said. “I’m like let him go!”
Quinn took out her cellphone to record the incident, and her camera captured Morris picking up her 9-year-old son by the arms and throwing him face down on the ground.
“That’s when I came and I pushed her off like, get off him. You don’t do that to a child,” Quinn said.
Another video shows Morris punching Quinn in the back of the head after she tried to intervene.
Des Moines police took Morris into custody at the Quick Trip Sunday. They say the child, who has autism, is now in the care of the Iowa Department of Human Services.
“To see it on video is horrifying and you do become concerned about if she is going to do this in a public place, what kind of things are going on at home,” said Sgt. Paul Parizek.
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
