NORTHPORT, AL — A Northport couple is facing felony child abuse charges after police say two of their juvenile children reported being repeatedly struck during a confrontation at their home.
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Court documents obtained by Patch show that Ronald Earl Flack, 45, and his wife, Sarah Flack, are both charged with two counts of child abuse (torture) following an investigation by the Northport Police Department into an incident reported at their home in the Northport city limits.
A deposition filed in Tuscaloosa County District Court on Wednesday said the investigation began Oct. 28 when a school resource officer at a Tuscaloosa County school was notified that two siblings had allegedly been assaulted by their parents the previous day.
Investigators said one of the children reported the incident to their teacher, who subsequently contacted the school resource officer.
The allegations stem from an argument that reportedly began while the sisters were completing chores outside their home on Oct. 27.
According to the deposition, one of the children was cleaning a bird cage while their sibling was cleaning a bucket. The older sibling reportedly attempted to help rinse the bucket, accidentally splashing water on the other.
Investigators said Sarah Flack then emerged from the house carrying a belt and began striking one of the children on their backside.
The other sibling allegedly stepped between the mother and sibling in an attempt to stop the punishment, telling investigators they believed the other sibling should not have been spanked for playing with a water hose.
Investigators went on to say the confrontation allegedly escalated when the father, Ronald Flack, came outside, took the belt away from one of the children and slapped the other across the face.
According to the deposition, one of the children said she was locked out of the house but managed to reenter through a side door using a security code.
Once inside, the child reportedly witnessed the mother slap the other sibling hard enough to knock them to the floor.
The juvenile told investigators they confronted the mother in defense of their sibling and was also slapped. They then acknowledged striking the mother but characterized their actions to investigators as self-defense.
The deposition alleges that both parents subsequently struck one of the children in the face multiple times.
Investigators said one of the couple's older children briefly intervened and separated the parties, but the confrontation continued.
One of the children told police that their father picked them up by the collar of the shirt after they fell to the ground and struck them several more times in the face. They also reported gagging, dry-heaving and feeling dizzy during the altercation.
The deposition said the family continued arguing for another two to three hours.
The investigation included interviews with both siblings, photographs of their injuries and a review of police body camera footage.
The school resource officer reported photographing a busted lip and bruising near one sibling's left eye. The other sibling had a bruise on the right side of her face.
Investigators also interviewed Sarah Flack at the family's residence, where a representative from the Alabama Department of Human Resources was present.
Sarah Flack reportedly acknowledged using a belt to discipline her children and admitted slapping both children during the confrontation.
However, she disputed portions of their accounts and told investigators that one of the children had been talking back and that the confrontation escalated after she attempted to discipline her.
She also alleged that one child struck her and said her husband intervened to separate the parties.
Court documents show that Sarah Flack told investigators Ronald Flack grabbed the juveniles by their wrists and held their arms until they calmed down.
A Northport Police investigator who reviewed the evidence reported that the injuries photographed by officers were inconsistent with the parents' explanations.
"The pictures ... are not consistent with injuries from being just slapped," the investigator wrote in the deposition, adding that the injuries appeared more consistent with being struck in the face with a closed fist.
The deposition also raised concerns about conditions inside the family's residence.
Studdard described the home as extremely filthy and cluttered, particularly concerning because one of the children has cerebral palsy and requires a walker to move around.
Investigators said the clutter would make it difficult for the child to navigate the residence safely.
The latest court filing says the Alabama Department of Human Resources made the decision to remove all four children from the residence during the investigation.
Studdard concluded that probable cause existed to charge both parents with child abuse (torture) under Alabama Code § 26-15-3 — a Class C felony.
The couple was booked into the Tuscaloosa County Jail on Tuesday with their total bonds set at $30,000 each for the two felony counts.
They remained behind bars as of the publication of this story.
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