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Police: Woman denied child food while potty-training

The child is still recovering in hospital and the other four children in her care were placed with relatives.
 
Takeia Ann Burns Sept. 3 on charges of aggravated child abuse and child neglect.
Takeia Ann Burns Sept. 3 on charges of aggravated child abuse and child neglect. [ Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office ]
Published Sept. 9, 2019

Associated Press

RIVIERA BEACH, Fla. — Police say a Florida woman who was struggling to potty-train her 3-year-old withheld food to keep her from soiling her diaper.

Riviera Beach police arrested 31-year-old Takeia Ann Burns Sept. 3 on charges of aggravated child abuse and child neglect. They say that when the child began eating from the garbage, Burns tied together the little girl's arms and legs.

The Palm Beach Post reports police say Burns is to blame for the child's fractured rib and brain bleed.

Police say she child weighed 22 pounds.

The newspaper reports the woman's relationship to the child is redacted in a police report.

The child is still recovering in hospital and the other four children in her care were placed with relatives.

A lawyer isn’t listed on Burns’ court records.