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Brenwyn Richey (Bingham County Sheriff’s Office).
In an alarming case from Idaho, a mother attempted to defend her harsh treatment of her baby daughter by telling a witness that the infant was “not made of glass,” as reported by the authorities.
Brenwyn Richey, 26, reportedly remarked to a witness that it was common for people to engage in actions like “shaking and jolting” their babies, as detailed in a probable cause affidavit reviewed by Law&Crime on Thursday.
Witnesses informed law enforcement that they observed Richey harshly pulling her daughter by the leg and vigorously bouncing her on her knee, among other aggressive behaviors. These incidents allegedly occurred on multiple occasions, including attempts to put the baby to sleep, starting from when the child was just a week old and continuing for two months thereafter.
The Blackfoot Police Department was called to Richey’s apartment in Blackfoot on December 28 following a report of domestic disturbance, during which she was accused of mishandling her daughter. In discussions with the officers, she conceded to using excessive force, according to the affidavit.
The affidavit goes on to describe how Richey acknowledged being “aggressive with her baby at times,” specifically mentioning that she would “bounce the baby on her leg aggressively” and place her on the bed with undue force or speed. During her interaction with an officer, Richey demonstrated the leg-bouncing motion, which was observed to be a rapid and forceful vertical movement. She admitted this problematic behavior was recurrent and expressed her intent to “work on it.”
A witness told police that when the girl was one week old, Richey dangled and “yanked” her by the leg without proper neck support. She told the witness after this alleged incident that the child was “not made of glass” and “asserted that ‘people do it all the time,’” the affidavit says.
Another witness told police that he saw Richey “shaking the infant” and he demonstrated the action by “extending his arms and jolting them back and forth, describing a ‘constant jolt’ that would last between five and 15 minutes, or until the infant ceased crying,” according to the affidavit.
Police were called to Richey’s apartment a second time on Dec. 29, which prompted cops to notify Child Protective Services. The agency consulted with the Bonneville County Attorney’s Office and initiated an emergency removal of Richey’s daughter from her home, according to the affidavit.
CPS officials say a prior report was on file “regarding THC exposure at birth.”
Police were informed on Jan. 2 that a medical evaluation performed on the girl found possible internal injuries. “The infant’s eyes appeared abnormally ‘droopy’ for her developmental age,” the affidavit says.
A follow-up evaluation was performed on Jan. 18 and allegedly revealed that the girl was experiencing “persistent internal swelling of an undetermined cause,” according to police.
“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 concluded in the affidavit.
Richey faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted. Court records show that she is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on April 9.