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SANDY — A Sandy mother faces eight criminal charges accusing her of abusing her two young children.
Jennifer Stanford, 40, was charged Friday in 3rd District Court with one second-degree felony and seven class A misdemeanor counts of child abuse.
Police were originally called to Stanford's residence in March on an allegation that her 3-year-old son was sexually abused by a Door Dash employee. Officers who responded determined that nothing had actually happened, but there were other red flags that raised their concern, according to charging documents.
The boy's face was swollen and he had scratches all over his cheeks, forehead, arms, chest and stomach, according to the charges. When police checked on Stanford's 2-year-old daughter, they reported finding her asleep with a dirty bottle in her mouth that was empty except for a brown substance inside. There was also blood spatter on the bed sheet, police said.
Officers also noticed clutter all over the residence, including rotten food on the stove, in the fridge and food delivery boxes spread throughout the house with rotten food still inside, according to the charges. In addition, the breaker for the lights was switched off.
At Primary Children's Hospital. the 3-year-old was found to have numerous bruises, petechiae, and a ruptured eardrum, the charges state.
Stanford later told police she did not know what happened but said "it could have possibly been her that hurt him," according to the charges. She said she was upset with her son for opening the door and might have hurt him while having a panic attack, the court documents say.
