- Joanna Sherry Rutledge, 45, was charged in Tooele County with child abandonment.
- Her 9-year-old daughter was allegedly left in a trailer without water in filthy conditions.
- The girl, found dehydrated and dirty, hadn't attended school for several years, police say.
GRANTSVILLE — A mother in Tooele County has been charged with leaving her 9-year-old daughter alone in a trailer with no running water and filthy conditions for hours at a time on multiple days.
Joanna Sherry Rutledge, 45, was booked into the Tooele County Jail on Wednesday and charged Thursday in 3rd District Court with child abandonment and aggravated child abuse, third-degree felonies; and reckless endangerment, a class A misdemeanor.
The investigation began Sept. 18 when a 9-year-old girl called other family members saying "she was starving and was extremely thirsty," according to a police booking affidavit.
The girl said she had been living with her mother in a trailer near Grantsville Reservoir for several weeks. But the trailer had no running water and "the victim stated, her mom, Rutledge, would leave her most of the day by herself and when the mother would return, she would be drunk or high on methamphetamine. Victim states mom would yell at her or hit her with a hand or a belt," the affidavit alleges.
Tooele County sheriff's deputies contacted the girl and saw she "was covered in dirt from head to toe, with a torn dress covered in dirt, and other stains. It appeared she had not showered or changed her clothes for a significant amount of time. The victim was complaining of thirst and appeared dehydrated. The officer on scene gave the victim a gallon of water. The victim consumed much of the water and appeared she had not drank water for a significant amount of time," according to the affidavit.
The girl was taken to a local hospital for a checkup. A doctor told deputies that "if the victim would have gone one or two more days without water, it could have caused significant injury or death to the victim," deputies noted.
The girl also told investigators that she had not been to school in several years.
"The victim stated she was often hungry and would look in other trailers (friends of mom) to try to find food and water. Victim stated she would sleep most of the day due to her mom being gone and being bored. Victim advised mom would sometimes bring a bucket of water from the reservoir. She stated the bucket of water was to drink and to bathe," the affidavit says.
By Sept. 19 — after the girl had been with deputies for several hours — detectives say Rutledge had still not reached out to family members or police about her daughter not being at the campsite where she left her.
On Wednesday, deputies returned to the area where the girl and her mother were living with search warrants for three trailers.
"The first two trailers had dog feces, urine, and garbage all over the floor. The trailers were not in good condition to live in. The third trailer … was the trailer the victim, (her mom), two adult dogs, and several puppies lived in. There was dog feces all over the ground, the floor was covered in garbage and dirty clothes strewn all over the place," police said.
Child abuse resources:
- Utah Domestic Violence Coalition operates a confidential statewide, 24-hour domestic abuse hotline at 1-800-897-LINK (5465). Resources are also available online: udvc.org. The statewide child abuse and neglect hotline is 1-855-323-DCFS (3237).
Help with children
Those who feel stressed out with a child, who need a break or who feel like they need counseling or training can reach out to one of the following agencies:
- The Family Support Center has 15 locations throughout the state and offers a free crisis nursery for parents who have to keep appointments or who are stressed out. They also offer counseling and family mentoring. Call 801-955-9110 or visit familysupportcenter.org/contact.php for more information.
- Prevent Child Abuse Utah provides home visiting in Weber, Davis, and Box Elder counties. Parent Educators provide support, education, and activities for families with young children. Their statewide education team offers diverse trainings on protective factors, digital safety, bullying, and child sex trafficking. They are available for in-person or virtual trainings and offer free online courses for the community at pcautah.org.
- The Office of Home Visiting works with local agencies to provide home visits to pregnant women and young families who would like to know more about being parents. Home visitors are trained and can provide information about breastfeeding, developmental milestones, toilet training, nutrition, mental health, home safety, child development, and much more. Find out more at homevisiting.utah.gov.
- The Safe Haven law allows birth parents in Utah to safely and anonymously give up custody of their newborn child at any hospital in the state, with no legal consequences and no questions asked. The child's mother can drop off the child, or the mother can ask someone else to do it for her. The newborns should be dropped off at hospitals that are open 24 hours a day. Newborns given up in this manner will be cared for by the hospital staff, and the Utah Division of Child and Family Services will find a home for the child. For more information, visit utahsafehaven.org or call the 24-hour hotline at 866-458-0058.
