A 31-year-old mother from Texas, Ebony Gonzalez, is facing charges of child abuse after allegedly assaulting her four children with a dog leash. The incident reportedly occurred when the children, aged 11, 11, 8, and 6, failed to confess to leaving a tissue on the floor of their Katy home, a suburb of Houston. The charges against Gonzalez include four counts of injury to a child.
According to the probable cause arrest affidavit, Gonzalez became irate when she discovered a tissue on the floor and none of her children admitted to being responsible. The affidavit alleges that she punished each child with a dog leash physically. Furthermore, she is accused of threatening to burn their hair on a gas stove.
The case came to light when one of the children, described as “terrified” in the affidavit, passed a note detailing the alleged abuse to a friend. The friend subsequently alerted the authorities, leading to an investigation.
Upon interviewing the children, detectives took them into protective custody. Two of the children exhibited red welts and bruises on their upper backs, according to the police. A third child claimed that her mother had pulled her hair and kicked her. The fourth child, although reluctant to speak with investigators, had visible marks consistent with physical abuse.
Gonzalez was arrested and is currently held at the Harris County Jail. She has posted a $10,000 bond for each charge and is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday. She has been assigned legal representation. As part of her bail conditions, Gonzalez is prohibited from having unsupervised contact with her children.
Local ABC affiliate KTRK reports that the children are currently in the care of their grandmother. Child Protective Services are conducting an ongoing investigation into the matter.