'Doggie' did it, not 'Daddy' | Free News

Wife of accused abuser says child’s speech impediment led to husband's arrest

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The wife of an accused child abuser said that her husband’s arrest was the result of a misunderstanding.

The 4-year-old boy — who was reported as the victim in the case that was in Saturday’s edition — has a speech problem, and he was trying to say “doggie” caused the bruise on the back of his thigh, not “daddy,” Brianna Taylor said in a message to the reporter.

“I got my son home and asked him what happened to his leg,” she wrote. “He has a speech-language delay so some … sounds he says are not completely clear. He said what to me sounded like ‘daddy got me.’”

When she repeated the phrase to him, asking if “daddy got him,” he said, “no, shaking his head over and over but every time he said ‘no’ when I said daddy got him,” Taylor continued.

“Finally, frustrated, he walked over to the dog and said, ‘daddy got me’ again. I finally put it together and (asked), ‘doggie got you?’ and he said ‘yes, doggie got my leg.’”

Taylor said she assumes that someone at the boy’s school asked her son what happened to his leg “and he said the same thing, which does sound like he was saying his dad hurt him (not) the dog.”

Taylor also said the report referred to bruises other than the one on the back of her son’s leg, but she wasn’t aware of what that was referring to.

“He only has one bruise on him from the dog nipping him,” Taylor said. “No bruises anywhere unless you count a few really small ones from normal bumping into stuff and playing, being a normal little boy.”

She and her husband were surprised by the arrest “because we don’t do anything that would result in that,” Taylor said of the bruise.

Justin Taylor, 26, of Myrick was charged with felony child abuse after being arrested by the Jones County Sheriff’s Department last week. 

Judge Sonny Saul set his bond at $5,000, which Taylor posted, and he was released.

Children who are believed to be victims of abuse are taken to child specialists to be interviewed about what happened to them. That is being set up by JCSD Sgt. Priscilla Pitts, Investigator Abraham McKenzie said.

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