Inset, from left: Catherine Philippe and Junior Borelus (Plainfield Police Department). Background: the Plainfield, Indiana, apartment complex (Google Maps).
An Indiana woman has been arrested after police said an alleged attempt to retaliate against her cheating husband left her young son hospitalized with serious burns.
Catherine Philippe, 38, faces one count each of neglect of a dependent resulting in injury, neglect of a dependent resulting in serious injury, and criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon, according to Hendricks County court records reviewed by Law&Crime.
Her husband, Junior Borelus, 39, is also charged with one count of neglect of a dependent resulting in injury.
The alleged incident took place at an apartment complex on Meadowlark Way in Plainfield, a mid-sized community on the western side of the Indianapolis metropolitan area.
Police began investigating in June after a Plainfield Police Department officer received a report from the Indiana Department of Child Services. The report said a 4-year-old boy was receiving treatment for burn injuries at an Indianapolis hospital, according to court records obtained by local Fox affiliate WXIN.
Authorities said the boy’s burns were already several days old when he was treated. The injuries, described as severe, were concentrated on his back and left shoulder and extended down his left arm.
When detectives followed up, Philippe allegedly told them she had been involved in a domestic dispute with her husband. During the argument, she allegedly tried to throw a pot of boiling water at him, missed, and struck her son instead, police said.
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Philippe reportedly said she did not initially notice injuries on the boy and did not seek medical care until several days later, when she took him to the hospital.
But interviews with two older children raised questions about that account, police said. The children reportedly told investigators that the burns were visible immediately, but Philippe did not want to take the child to the hospital because “she didn’t have much money” and feared she would be blamed, according to charging documents.
The older children did corroborate the cause of the child’s injuries, authorities said. The children described how Philippe and Borelus were arguing over the man’s mistress — but also said the argument had something to do with ice cream, police said. The children added that Philippe was trying to hit Borelus with the scalding water but missed and hit the little boy instead.
Charges were filed against the defendants last week. Both Philippe and Borelus were arrested earlier this week.
The husband is currently being detained in the Hendricks County Jail on $2,000 bond issued Thursday, court records show. The wife is being detained on $7,500 bond.
A pretrial conference in the case against Borelus is slated for Oct. 20. Philippe is scheduled to next appear in court on Oct. 29.
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