The Laurinburg Exchange

April 18, 2014

Family of abused infan urges o hers o spea! up "ommuni y par ners #or! o increase a#areness of child abuse, neglec
By Rachel McAuley rmcauley@civitasmedia.com
1 days 19 hours ago|2053 Vie s|1 !omme"t|| |

Audrey Blades soothes her son, 4-month-old Charlie Oetzel, who just woke up from a nap. She said although Charlie was left lind after eing shaken, h... !A"#$%B"#& ' $n his first days of life, Charlie Oetzel was like any other normal, healthy a y. (e ate, slept and )ried. (e needed )onstant )are and attention. *uring that short time, Audrey Blades grew to know her young son well. +hen she noti)ed that Charlie seemed to ha,e suddenly de,eloped a lazy eye and that he was uninterested in eating, the )hild was rushed to a do)tor ' and then, for a rain s)an. -.he do)tor )ame in and told me had een shaken,/ Blades said. %ow, at 4 months old, Charlie re0uires a ,entilator. (e is lind and his rain has trou le regulating his ody1s temperature. $t is un)lear how normal a life Charlie will lead. -$t1s life-)hanging,/ Blades said. -2,en if he makes a mira)ulous impro,ement my son won1t e the same. (is sister won1t e a le to play with him the way $ played with my rother. +e don1t know what he1s going to e )apa le of ' it1s playing the waiting game./

.hough his road to re)o,ery is long, Charlie made great strides during his two-month hospitalization, surprising do)tors who thought he would not sur,i,e. A))ording to n))hild.org, in 3455, 546 S)otland County )hildren were found to e ,i)tims of a use or negle)t. .he re)urren)e of maltreatment of )hildren was 4.3 per)ent. Blades hopes her son1s )ase will inspire others who suspe)t a use to )ome forward efore it1s too late. -7ou )ould sa,e a Blades said. a y1s life ' like Charlie1s ' just y speaking up,/

!aurin urg 8oli)e ha,e )harged Charlie1s father with felonious )hild a use. Andrew 9i)hael Oetzel, 34, was arrested on :e . 6 and gi,en a ;544,444 ond. -Be ,ery aware,/ Blades said. -<ery aware. = $f you see anything, hear anything ' you don1t ha,e to e dire)tly in,ol,ed, ut don1t just sit a)k./ A))ording to dontshake.org, Shaken Ba y Syndrome o))urs when an infant or small )hild hits their head or is ,iolently shaken. Common symptoms in)lude irrita ility, de)reased appetite, diffi)ulty reathing, seizures, and an ina ility for an infant to lift their head or fo)us their eyes. Blades has een told that Charlie had een shaken on two separate o))asions, ut doesn1t know e>a)tly when. She now wishes she had paid more attention to -the little things,/ like hearing Oetzel -raise his ,oi)e/ at Charlie or talk to him -like he was an adult./ -(e wasn1t soft-spoken with the a y or soothing,/ Blades said. Shaken Ba y Syndrome )an )ause a )hild to grow up ha,ing learning, physi)al, ,isual, hearing, eha,ioral and spee)h disa ilities or impairments. <i)tims )an suffer from Cere ral 8alsy, a loss of motor a)ti,ity and mus)le )ontrol, seizures and death. Charlie1s (ypothalamus, a part of the )hemi)als and hormones, is damaged. rain that regulates important

-+e had to keep his room warm,/ said 8amela S)ott, Charlie1s grandmother, -keep him under lankets, keep hats on him, keep him in the heat ' ?do)tors@ said he would ne,er wake up./ (owe,er, Charlie surprised do)tors at C%C !e,ine Children1s (ospital three weeks after he1d een there. -(e1s got a long road ut at the eginning he was totally asleep,/ Blades said. -.hey didn1t think he would sur,i,e. (e )ouldn1t regulate his temperature, ut he1s doing ,ery good at regulating his temperature without any help with a lanket. (e1s doing a lot etter than they thought./ All Blades asked is for people to pray for Charlie. -$1m glad he1s home e)ause $ had to see him e,ery day ?at the hospital@,/ said S)ott. -$ get upset sometimes e)ause it ne,er should ha,e happened ut as far as Charlie = $1m glad he1s still here./ Charlie1s is one of two re)ent )ases of )hild a use in S)otland County. On April 6, a 33-month-old girl suffered third-degree urns on her feet, when, a))ording to !aurin urg poli)e, the )hild1s godmother pla)ed her in a athtu , turned on the hot water and left the room. .he )hild was taken to S)otland 9emorial (ospital and later transferred to the "%C Burn Center in Chapel (ill for further treatment. !inda 9)Aueen, 4B, was )harged with )hild a use a few days later, a))ording to Cliff Sessoms, !aurin urg1s assistant poli)e )hief, and held in the S)otland County jail under a ;C4,444 se)ured ond. .he !aurin urg 8oli)e *epartment has re)ei,ed a out si> )hild a use )ases in the past si> months, a))ording to 8oli)e Chief *arwin +illiams. .hough )alls for poli)e assistan)e usually )ome from the )ounty1s department of so)ial ser,i)es, +illiams said anyone who suspe)ts mistreatment )an also make an anonymous )all to his offi)e. -Any a use to a )hild is ad,/ he said. -$t doesn1t matter the se,erity. %o )hild deser,es a use./

.he S)otland County Sheriff1s Offi)e has dealt with four )ases of )hild a use and two )ases of )hild negle)t so far this year, with three arrests made, a))ording to Sheriff Shep Dones. :our )hild a use )ases were reported in oth 345E and 3453, and four arrests were made ea)h year. -"sually if you suspe)t something1s going on, it1s pro a ly going on,/ said Dones. -.here1s a reason why you1re thinking like that./ Both Dones and +illiams stressed that )hildren, when old enough, should notify poli)e themsel,es if they are eing a used. -+e want the kids to know that we1re their friends,/ said Dones. -+e want them to feel )omforta le if they are eing a used ' that they would notify us and we )an in,estigate and see e>a)tly what1s going on./ .o foster that relationship, )ounty law enfor)ement, )ounty so)ial ser,i)es and ,arious )ounty and state agen)ies will together e parti)ipating in a :amily :un *ay on the *SS grounds, held ea)h year in April, Child A use 8re,ention 9onth. .he e,ent is set for April 36 from 55 a.m. to 3 p.m. and will feature oun)e houses and other a)ti,ities. Children will e asked during an art )ontest to draw whate,er makes them happy, and what happiness means to them. .he day ser,es as -a )hild a use pre,ention strategy,/ said Sheretha 9anie)e-Barrios, so)ial ser,i)es intern, y getting families together with agen)ies who )an fulfill needs. All )hildren, she said, deser,e to li,e in safe and healthy )ommunities that foster their well eing. Anyone who suspe)ts that a )hild is eing a used )an )onta)t the !aurin urg 8oli)e *epartment at F54-3B6-E355 or the S)otland County Sheriff1s Offi)e at F54-3B6-EEGC.