Teen arrested for allegedly abusing 4-year-old half-brother
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YELM, Wash. -- An 18-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly burning his 4-year-old half-brother with cigarettes, along with other possible abuse, police said.
The 4-year-old's father, an Army sergeant, returned home deployment in Afghanistan on Oct. 3 and visited the children at their mother's Yelm home three days later.
Police say the father noticed right away the state of decay of the 4 year-old's teeth and a significant apparent cigarette burn underneath the left forearm.
"He got burned by a cigarette or in the boy's words, he was set on fire by the cigarette," said Chief Todd Stancil with Yelm Police.
The father took the boy home and called police. Investigators say the 4-year-old told them his 18-year-old half brother Timothy Rowland did it.
The boys' mother denies the claims.
"(Timothy's) been very good to him," said Danielle Hathaway. "I don't believe that he would have done that. He loves him."
But the boy told police they were mean to him.
"He was afraid of them and they liked to hurt him," Stancil said. "And mentioned that he had been kicked in the stomach. "
Hathaway says the boy was not afraid of them.
"He's not afraid... I know he's not," she said.
She and the boy's father are divorced, and she believes this is all a vendetta.
"I have an ex-husband that has been after me since our divorce in regards to trying to take the children away from me," Hathaway said.
She says there are no cigarette burns and a burn from an iron on the boy's arm was from an accident with her. And the boy has dental hygiene problems with his teeth that she can't afford to get fixed.
"This is nothing but lies," she said.
KOMO News tried to interview the boy's father, but his military leaders at Joint Base Lewis-McChord said he wasn't available.
Meanwhile, police say Hathaway is still under investigation, but Rowland was placed under arrest and charged with child assault. He's been booked into the Thurston County Jail and ordered held on $200,000 bail. The boy is staying with his father.
The 4-year-old's father, an Army sergeant, returned home deployment in Afghanistan on Oct. 3 and visited the children at their mother's Yelm home three days later.
Police say the father noticed right away the state of decay of the 4 year-old's teeth and a significant apparent cigarette burn underneath the left forearm.
"He got burned by a cigarette or in the boy's words, he was set on fire by the cigarette," said Chief Todd Stancil with Yelm Police.
The father took the boy home and called police. Investigators say the 4-year-old told them his 18-year-old half brother Timothy Rowland did it.
The boys' mother denies the claims.
"(Timothy's) been very good to him," said Danielle Hathaway. "I don't believe that he would have done that. He loves him."
But the boy told police they were mean to him.
"He was afraid of them and they liked to hurt him," Stancil said. "And mentioned that he had been kicked in the stomach. "
Hathaway says the boy was not afraid of them.
"He's not afraid... I know he's not," she said.
She and the boy's father are divorced, and she believes this is all a vendetta.
"I have an ex-husband that has been after me since our divorce in regards to trying to take the children away from me," Hathaway said.
She says there are no cigarette burns and a burn from an iron on the boy's arm was from an accident with her. And the boy has dental hygiene problems with his teeth that she can't afford to get fixed.
"This is nothing but lies," she said.
KOMO News tried to interview the boy's father, but his military leaders at Joint Base Lewis-McChord said he wasn't available.
Meanwhile, police say Hathaway is still under investigation, but Rowland was placed under arrest and charged with child assault. He's been booked into the Thurston County Jail and ordered held on $200,000 bail. The boy is staying with his father.
Just from what has been reported here, Mom doesn't sould like a good Mom to me! I am not in the position of judging and will not judge......just hope the 4 year old can have a happy, healthy life.Â
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Thanks for your service Dad!
Well sheesh If the wife cannot afford to do the basic dental for a 4year old how she should not have custody of that child... it is parents like this that are reasons why we should have licenses to breed which require evaluations before being approved to have a child! A child growing up should be assured he is born to parents who know what they are doing ... children growing up from broken homes is on the rise and this is going to get worse before it gets better if something is not done to keep the degenerates from multiplying! - the right thing to do in this case is ensure this wife never gets that 4 year old back and the father hopefully can find someone to care for him while he is away instead of trusting this psycho of an ex-wife to do it... she should be in jail too!
@Freespeech If Dad is in the military, don't they have dental benefits? If they do, then she is a liar and really doesn't care about the little guy!
 @Freespeech Dental is cheap. It isn't a matter of affording it. It is a matter of caring enough about your children to brush and floss their teeth for them when they are 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, up to 10 sometimes depending on the kid. I am astonished at how many parents show up at school every day dressed up like they have a photo shoot and drop off their disheveled kid with bed head and unbrushed teeth smelling like the gym. I volunteer reading help in my kid's class and some kids show up. It is sadly quite common.
THIS IS ALL BS tim did nothing to his brother he would never hurt anyone .....lil kids dont lie thats a bunch of crap as well they lie all the time ecspecially when someone ( his dad) starts putting things in thier head or telling them they have to say such things .....
The story is much clearer here than it was on the TNT this morning.
Little kids don't lie about thing like this so I totally believe the little boy.
I feel very sorry for him and hope he can live with his father so he can be taken care of.
@mstipton Sorry, but by the age of 4 some children are very proficient at lying. Maybe not here, just saying it could be true he is lying. Either way, the boy needs a better home, it appears.
"But the boy told police they were mean to him." Who is THEY? The brother and the mother? That poor little boy. He's too little to defend himself from the BULLIES who are supposed to be his family.
Table:.....Very good post....................
Hmmm, just how expensive is a new toothbrush every 3 months, toothpaste and fluoride rinse and 5 minutes out of your night EVERY night? For that matter you don't even have to do the fluoride rinse, I know my youngest can't stand it and she still has never had a single cavity. It's called responsibility. Best piece of advice I ever received was that a child is incapable of properly brushing every nook and cranny of their teeth until you are able to read their writing in cursive. Sadly it looks like again it's the case of a mother allowing a baby to raise himself rather then being a mother!
I know him personally and he would NEVER do that. You all assume that the "allegations" are immediately true. I see him on an at least twice weekly basis. He's a very nice, easy to speak to individual who has no intention of hurting anyone. Many people can vouch for him.
@Joseph Rogers So you see him on a professional basis? I hope you are correct, but also hope the young boy gets help! Dad could be playing games; not enough information here.
@Joseph Rogers We don't know if it was him or his mom but either way SOMEONE HURT THIS LITTLE BOY AND NEITHER HIM OR HIS MOM DID ANYTHING ABOUT IT!! I have a young boy and I know first hand he would NEVER make those type of statements unless they were true. There are alot of people in this world that seem descent and a lot of people would vouch for them BUT behind closed doors they could be someone totally different.
 @tkyed  @Joseph It's not like I don't see behind closed doors or are isolated. I usually can notice people's behaviors and actions around certain people and I observe how they communicate, facial expressions and tones. I've never noticed anything out of the ordinary.. Perhaps, like the story suggested, this could be a revenge from the father. It's not out of the ordinary to have a recently divorced spouse feel vengeful and perhaps take an extreme course of action.
 @tkyed  @Joseph  @Joseph I never said I was an expert nor claimed to be one. Being an expert doesn't mean I have to have a degree or some odd. And vice versa. However, it states that the burn was from an iron, and that fact was backed up by statements. The story even says "Apparent cigarette burn." That leads me to believe that it potentially could have been an idea placed in this child's head. "Set on fire by a cigarette." I've tried burning clothes with a cigarette to see if they would burn. Needless to say, they didn't catch on fire. It seems that statement is a bit...unusual. Perhaps the child was mortified by the alleged behavior and exaggerrated. I suppose we won't know, but hopefully justice serves it's original intent, the people.
@Joseph Rogers @Joseph Problem is that just because as you stated you can notice people's behaviors and actions that does not mean you are an expert and can never be wrong. 2nd I have an 8 year old son and I would not believe for 1 minute that a child would lie about something like that. 3rd the fact that he has a burn and has dental hygiene problems do make things look awefully suspicious. Personal/dental hygiene are basic needs and there is no excuse any parent could give me for not taking care of their kids teeth.
@Joseph Rogers Ted Bundy was REALLY nice as well to his friends & family. Just sayin'.... He may very well be innocent, but just because you think he's nice & easy to speak to means nothing.
 @Shelly  @Joseph Ok, but that's just being paranoid. Not every person will turn out remotely like Ted.
@Joseph Rogers My brother's best friend growing up was like a little brother to me. He lived with us for a long time when his parents divorced. I trusted him. He was there for me and my family. He helped me move into my first condo when nobody else wanted to. I considered him family. But last year, when he was staying with my brother in my mother's home, he molested my 12 year old daughter who was staying the night with her grandmother. When my daughter told me, I told her I believed her and I was angry but when I got her calmed down and sent back to bed... I cried. A lot. In utter disbelief. But I knew it was true. Because my daughter cried and apologized to me. "I didn't want to tell you, Mom. I know he's like a brother to you and now I've ruined everything." I got in my car and drove to my mother's home where he was staying and took care of business. He admitted it. He said he had been drinking and felt horrible for doing it. His apology did nothing for me and it has done nothing for my daughter.
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My point, Joseph... no matter how well you know this guy... he may be the monster the press is making him out to be. He hasn't been convicted yet so you can go ahead and believe in him as good friends should. But... there is a possibility he's guilty even though you have only seen the "very nice, easy to speak to individual" who wouldn't hurt anybody. Because if that man was capable of doing that to my daughter then anybody is capable of anything. I know that makes me pessimistic and dark. But that's just another side affect of abuse.
Oh My GOD. That poor little guy.
The 18 year old is an adult.
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Eye for an eye - but he should not be allowed to reproduce so that he can torture his own kids - voting old fashioned castration - just a rubber band and the boys fall off.
That little boy has dental insurance through the military so there is no excuse for decayed teeth.
@agatha. Being a military member and a spouse, dental insurance covers everything with no co-pay. So, there is no excuse what so ever for the dental hygiene.
@agatha Unless the military pays 100% then there is a possibility it's "too expensive" for the mother to afford. But it's still no excuse for decayed teeth. As a mother you put your kid's health (including teeth) ahead of anything else. If she had cable running or any other luxury then she can afford dental treatment. Besides, I don't know what dentist wouldn't put her on some type of payment plan to fix a little kid's teeth. Why are they so decayed anyway??
 @Table9  @agatha No, there is no excuse, even if the military doesn't cover 100%.  You get a hold of dad and tell him the kid's teeth need major work and have him help out.  Of course, that is also what child support is for.
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And the only reason that poor boy's teeth were in such bad shape is because of Mom. Â She has no business having custody of this child.
@stamperzann You are assuming that she actually used the child support on the child.
This is all lies Tim didnt hurt his brother  he loves his family and theres plenty of people that know that ....he doesnt deserved to be locked up at all !!!!!
@DorkyDrea92 Maybe, or maybe he's a great manipulator. Ted Bundy's friends loved & respected him as well. I think we all know how that turned out. Your friends aren't going to tell you dark secrets about themself like that. Of course, you may be right, but don't be naive either..
At the age of eighteen, he is legally an adult. He is currently charged and if found guilty
he will be punished as an adult.
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"(Timothy's) been very good to him," said Danielle Hathaway. "I don't believe that he would have done that. He loves him." But the boy told police they were mean to him. "He was afraid of them and they liked to hurt him," Stancil said. "And mentioned that he had been kicked in the stomach. " Hathaway says the boy was not afraid of them. "He's not afraid... I know he's not," she said."
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Chicks are hilarious. Anything to please the new boyfriend and his kids, but to hell with your own. Sell your kid out in exchange for your own loser dating life. Nice.
@thatsjarrod "Chicks are hilarious. Anything to please the new boyfriend and his kids, but to hell with your own. Sell your kid out in exchange for your own loser dating life. Nice."
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The 18 year old is the 4 year olds half brother. What does this have to do with a boyfriend?
 @Tattooed_Angel I think he was talking about the 4 year old's mother. That's what my common sense tells me.Â
@PrairieDawn Well yeah, I would think that he was talking about the mother but this story has nothing to do with a boyfriend and doesn't even mention a boyfriend. It isn't about the mother's dating life.
Why dear God why?!!!!! Children are so much fun and if you stare into their eyes you see a vast innocence and they are so loving and full of wonder. I don't understand people that torture children, it makes no sense to me but I do think they should all be shot.
Lock up the "mom" too.
Thankfully Dad had enough sense to leave that house of horrors with his son. I hope they both get through this and the 18 yr old enjoys jail time. I also hope the father gets full custody.Â
Had it been my child, I would have a hard time not using my military issued weapon to protect him.
Poor man...a patriot coming home from serving our country to find this!!!
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I hope he's home from deployments for a while so he can shoot for FULL custody.
If I was the father, I would want charges pressed against the mother too. Whether or not she gets charged, I hope he goes after custody.
 @The WA Mama It sounds like her pathetic story of accidentally burning her little boy with an iron (somehow making a burn similar to a small, round cigarette) is a straight up lie to cover up the 18-year-old's felonious assault, so hopefully the prosecutors are man enough or woman enough, to throw every charge they can possibly find at her.Â
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I really hope the father is either home for good, finished with all deployments, and/or has someone in his life whom he can trust to watch his son if he does have to leave again. Can't imagine anything but an extended deployment that would have interfered with him getting full custody in the first place.Â
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Looks like Mom of the Year's mandatory parenting classes are working out wonderfully for the whole family.Â
What the F has the mom been doing this whole time?! Â Disgraceful. Â Arrest her too.
If the father noticed it right away then there is no way the mother didn't notice. It sounds like two people deserve jail time and one soldier deserves time with his son.
"Teen"? Old enough to vote, old enough for general population in the big house
Kudos to the Dad for taking action!! - not asking Q's and waiting for an investigation. He swooped up his child and went to Police. Good Man.
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And Thank You for your service, I an so saddened that you came home to this. Take your Son, and wrap your arms around him, forever. NO Excuse for this.
Arrest the mother too!!! Sick