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KEARNS — A couple wanted on charges of child abuse have been arrested and booked into the Salt Lake County Jail.
Steven Gene Durrant, 34, and Mandy Jean Barbour, 28, both of Kearns, were charged Oct. 11 in 3rd District Court with child abuse inflicting serious injury, a second-degree felony; three counts of endangerment of a child, a third-degree felony; and child abuse, a class A misdemeanor. Authorities issued $100,000 arrest warrants for the couple.
On Thursday, detectives from the U.S. Marshal's Office arrested the couple. Details of their apprehension were not immediately available.
According to charging documents, while Durrant and Barbour were staying at another person's house along with two children, ages 8 and 1, the homeowner once heard the 8-year-old scream "don't kick me," according to charging documents. The boy was allegedly kicked in the ribs and had bruising on his chest, the charges state.
Six days after that incident, the boy "had black eyes and a swollen face" and "stated he had not eaten that day and was hungry," according to court documents. The homeowner told police that if she didn't feed both children, they would not eat most days, according to court records.
When police later asked the boy about the incident, he told them that Durrant accused him of stealing his pillow and "punched him in the face approximately 19 times and kicked him in the back of the head causing his face to hit the wall resulting in two black eyes and swelling of the face," the charges state.
The boy also told police that "Durrant and Barbour gave him food about twice a month," according to court documents.
Among the other allegations outlined in court documents: Durrant yelled derogatory comments at the 8-year-old on multiple occasions; the 8-year-old was hit and slapped, sometimes with a belt; the 8-year-old had his head slammed into a wall at least once, leaving a hole in the drywall.
The couple even "kept (the 8-year-old) out of school for two days to hide the bruises," the charges state.
The couple is scheduled to make their first appearances in court on Tuesday.
Help and support for victims and survivors of domestic violence is available at 1-800-897-LINK (5465), or at udvc.org.
- Utah Domestic Violence Coalition Hotline: 1-800-897-5465 (LINK)
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE)
- YWCA 24-Hour Crisis Line: 801-537-8600
