Allegations detail repeated violent handling of newborn over two-month period
Blackfoot, Idaho – A 26-year-old Idaho mother is facing a felony charge after police say multiple witnesses reported seeing her violently handle her infant daughter, including shaking and “jolting” the child over extended periods. Brenwyn Richey was arrested following an investigation that began with a domestic disturbance call and later led to the child’s removal from the home.
According to a probable cause affidavit, witnesses described repeated incidents in which Richey allegedly yanked the infant by her leg, bounced her aggressively on her knee, and shook her while attempting to quiet her. The reported behavior began when the child was just one week old and continued over the following two months.
Witness accounts and admissions detailed in affidavit
Court documents state that one witness saw Richey “dangling and ‘yanking’” the newborn by the leg without supporting her neck. Afterward, Richey allegedly told the witness the child was “not made of glass” and “people do it all the time.”
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Another witness told police he observed Richey “shaking the infant,” demonstrating what he described as a “constant jolt” lasting between five and 15 minutes or until the baby stopped crying.
Police responded to Richey’s apartment on Dec. 28 following a domestic disturbance report involving the child. During that response, Richey admitted to officers that she used excessive force. “Richey admitted to being ‘aggressive with her baby sometimes,’ specifically stating that she ‘bounces the baby on her leg aggressively’ and places the child on the bed with excessive force or speed,” the affidavit states. “Richey provided physical demonstration of the leg-bouncing, which I observed to be rapid and forceful vertical motion.”
Officers were called back to the residence the following day, prompting notification of Child Protective Services. The agency coordinated with the Bonneville County Attorney’s Office to carry out an emergency removal of the infant from the home.
Medical findings and prior concerns
A medical evaluation conducted on Jan. 2 identified possible internal injuries, with the affidavit noting the infant’s eyes appeared abnormally “droopy” for her developmental stage. A follow-up evaluation on Jan. 18 found “persistent internal swelling of an undetermined cause.”
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Investigators also noted that Child Protective Services had a prior report involving the child related to THC exposure at birth.
“Based on the defendant’s admissions of aggressive physical handling, witness accounts of prolonged shaking and jolting, and subsequent medical findings of internal swelling and injury, I find that probable cause exists to charge Brenwyn Richey with felony injury to child,” an officer wrote in the affidavit.
Richey faces a charge of felony injury to a child, which carries a potential sentence of up to 10 years in prison if convicted. Court records show she is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing on April 9.
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