HAMILTON COUNTY, Neb. — Two Aurora citizens are facing fines after several minors were found to be living in a tent with food or water.
Carrie Beck, 38, and Nathan Collingham, 45, are charged with child abuse in Hamilton County Courthouse. Beck faces six charges, while Collingham faces five counts.
According to an arrest affidavit, at approximately 10:45 p. m. On June 15, Aurora police won a report of child abuse at Green Meadows Estate, a mobile home park east of the city. The affidavit said a woman said a minor had been physically slapped and that a total of five minors were sleeping outside. of doors in a tent.
When the police officer arrived at the scene, he observed the five minors who were partially clothed, dressed only in shorts and T-shirts. He observed that they gave the impression of being covered in insect bites and had scratches and bruises on their bodies.
The officer spoke with Collingham, who said the minors were allowed to sleep in the caravan on the grounds, but they could also sleep in a tent at the site. In the affidavit, the officer commented that the tent gave the impression of being a tent. for two or 3 people.
At the scene, the policeman reported that the miners had made comments asking him if he was there to take them to another place, saying that they were hungry and slept in the tent. The officer did not give food or water to the children in the tent. area.
The officer noted that the goods tent was soaked in water and that the miners’ clothing was in bags in the driveway. He added that a minor told him that Beck had asked her to put on a shirt “so she wouldn’t go to jail. ” “.
Collingham gave the officer permission to inspect the living conditions inside the RV. According to the police officer, the van was covered in trash, cramped and there was not enough space for the five minors to sleep comfortably. He said the miners told him there were insects inside the caravan.
Shortly after 00:30 hours on June 16, the police officer notified through the report that one of the five other young people in the cell phone was parking on foot in the middle of Highway 34, wrapped in a blanket.
The police officer then discovered the minor, who was not wearing shoes. The boy said he had been excluded from the caravan by Collingham, who had told him he simply couldn’t stay in the caravan.
The officer then spoke with Beck and Collingham, who said they had no plans to search for the child. The two men were subsequently arrested and incarcerated in the Hamilton County Jail.
Beck’s bail was set at $50,000, of which 10% would have to be paid in order to get out of prison. His next hearing date is set for July 23 at 10 a. m.
Collingham’s bail was set at $5,000, of which 10% would have to be paid in order to be released from prison. His next hearing date is set for July 30 at 10 a. m.