Casper Woman Accused of Choking Child Until He Lost Consciousness
A Casper woman is accused of choking a small child as punishment for wetting the bed.
Allison Marie Sellers is charged with a single count of child abuse. Last week, she waived a preliminary hearing in Natrona County Circuit Court on the charges. She has not had a chance to enter a plea in Natrona County District Court.
Child abuse is punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment.
According to an affidavit of probable cause, Casper police were notified on August 20 after the boy's sister told a counselor at a Casper summer camp that her brother "almost died" the night before. The boy's sister elaborated that Sellers choked the boy until he went unconscious.
Court records say the boy was born in 2014.
Later on August 20, a Casper police detective and Children's Advocacy Project forensic interviewer spoke with the victim and his sister.
The boy's sister told investigators that the boy had an accident the night of August 19. She was awoken by Sellers yelling at the boy and stomping down the hallway, according to court records.
According to the affidavit, the boy's sister said she could hear Sellers hitting the boy. She also told investigators that Sellers choked the boy for "like five minutes." Asked how she knew that's what happened, the boy's sister said Sellers had done that to her in the past.
The victim told investigators that when Sellers was choking him, he "fell asleep" and thought he was dead, charging documents state. Asked to describe what Sellers did to him, the boy held his hands to his neck and made a choking sound. He also told investigators that he couldn't breathe.
When Sellers spoke to police, the affidavit says, she initially said she did not know why she was being interviewed. She also said that she was not abusive, didn't do drugs and kept a safe home.
"Sellers was informed (the victim) had disclosed what happened to him," a detective wrote in the affidavit. "Sellers then mentioned everyone was going to take the word of a child and Sellers mentioned the fact that 'kids lie.'"
According to the affidavit, a detective told Sellers that the boy's sister told investigators what she heard. Sellers allegedly replied back that she didn't care what the girl heard.
The detective then told Sellers that both children said that the choking incident wasn't an isolated event, according to the affidavit.
"Cool, then I guess they're completely unsafe and I should just put them up for adoption," Sellers allegedly replied.
Sellers eventually told investigators that the victim woke her at roughly 4 a.m. the night of the incident and said he'd wet the bed. Sellers allegedly told investigators she told the boy he would have to sleep in the soiled bed if he didn't wear a diaper. The boy promised Sellers that he wouldn't wet the bed again, to which she allegedly replied, "You said that last time," the affidavit says.