Sandi Ramona Goodman (Milwaukee County Jail).
A Wisconsin mom is headed to prison after she allegedly disciplined her 3-year-old son by burning his skin so bad doctors were forced to perform emergency surgery.
Milwaukee County court records show 27-year-old Sandi Ramona Goodman on Wednesday pleaded guilty to repeated acts of child abuse. As part of the plea agreement, the child neglect charge was dismissed. A judge sentenced her to six years in prison followed by 10 years probation. After her release from prison, she must take anger management and parenting classes, maintain sobriety and is not to use corporal punishment on any child she is caring for, records say.
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As Law&Crime previously reported, an arrest affidavit said Goodman called 911 on Oct. 4 after she claimed her son was burned by boiling water. She waited an hour before making the call. The boy suffered “significant burns,” bruises and blisters. After seeing the boy’s skin “coming off,” doctors immediately sedated him and performed surgery to treat his injuries, the affidavit stated. Some of the boy’s injuries appeared to be newer while others were in the process of healing.
“Acute bruising” in the left upper arm was consistent with “high velocity impact” from a “linear object,” doctors told police. Goodman was likely abusing the boy over several days, cops concluded.
“The looped patterned injuries are present on nearly every body part, completely covering the back and in protected areas such as the neck and inner thighs. The injuries would have been extremely painful when they occurred and are outside of what would be considered reasonable discipline of a child,” the complaint said. “The healed and healing looped and linear injuries may be days or weeks old. The presence of acute patterned bruises to the left upper arm and extensive healed injuries confirms physical abuse on multiple occasions.”
In an interview with police at her home, Goodman said she was boiling water in the kitchen when she went to the bathroom. She said she then heard the boy scream. Goodman ran out and saw the boy “jumping around and trying to get away from the water,” the affidavit said. But detectives noted her story didn’t explain how the boy’s entire upper body was covered in burns. Goodman allegedly attributed those injuries to “bug bites.” She denied ever physically disciplining the boy.
A search of Goodman’s phone said otherwise. Text messages between her and the boy’s father on Sept. 30 said the boy defecated on himself and started playing with the waste, the affidavit said. The father asked if she “whoop his ass” and Goodman responded, “I did smh.” She also allegedly texted that he’s smart in some ways but “overall he slow.” Investigators said Goodman missed several doctor’s appointments that would’ve addressed any disabilities.
Investigators also allegedly uncovered several incriminating Google searches between Sept. 23 and Oct. 5. Some of them included:
Morning of Oct. 5
Ambulance Bell
Evening of Oct. 4
Afternoon of Oct. 4
Morning of Oct. 4
Oct. 1
Sept. 30
Sept. 23
Police also interviewed the victim’s siblings, ages 5 and 7. They detailed horrific abuse that allegedly occurred in the home. The 5-year-old reportedly said, “mommy whoops us when we’re loud.” Goodman allegedly “whoops” them with a white phone charging cord, her children said. Her 7-year-old daughter said she yelled at the boy for “stealing water,” the affidavit said. The girl described an incident where her mother put her hands around her neck and squeezed, cops wrote. She also said Goodman allegedly punched her and “it felt hard like someone having spikes on her face.”
Cops arrested Goodman on Oct. 7.
The post Mom who blamed 3-year-old’s ‘significant burns’ on bug bites, made incriminating Google searches receives fate first appeared on Law & Crime.
