The Roanoke Rapids Police Department reported the following, according to Chief Shane Guyant:
A 24-year-old Roanoke Rapids man surrendered to the police department to be charged in a case of intentional child abuse in which his girlfriend’s 2-year-old was scalded from bathwater in 2023.
Timothy Maurice Bell Jr. was charged with felony intentional child abuse with serious bodily injury and was released on a $75,000 bond. He has an April 25 district court date.
The case was originally thought to have occurred in Northampton County, but the Northampton department of social services determined it occurred in Roanoke Rapids.
The police department received the case in January, Guyant said.
An extensive investigation showed the case originated in the 600 block of Carolina Avenue and that the child had been placed in the bathtub while Bell was babysitting. The child was left unattended as hot water was running. The water reached scalding temperatures which caused second- and third-degree burns to the child’s feet and buttocks.
The child was treated at a medical facility and DSS was notified.
Bell surrendered to the police around noon Thursday.
Guyant said, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, approximately 3,800 injuries and 34 deaths occur in the home each year due to scalding from excessively hot tap water. The majority of these cases involve children under the age of 5.
“These burns can be prevented,” the chief said. “Most residential water heater temperatures are set too high.”
The National Institute of Health recommends that the maximum temperature of water heaters be no higher than 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
150-degree water scalds in just .5 seconds of exposure.
140-degree water scalds in one second of exposure.
Disgruntled customer
On Thursday around 10:30 a.m. a Como man, who was described as a disgruntled customer, came into a business armed with a pistol and threatened to “shoot up the place,” Guyant said.
https://rrspin.com/news/8766-rrpd-roundup-intentional-child-abuse-disgruntled-customer.html#sigProId5055e90816
PACE Officer J. Conrad responded and learned from witnesses that 70-year-old Junior Lee Mason was inside the business and had a firearm in his hand.
Conrad entered the building and identified Mason.
Officer B. Johnson, Lieutenant D. Hundley, Master Officer N. Powell, and many other members of the Roanoke Rapids Police Department arrived on the scene.
Mason was taken into custody without trouble. A firearm was retrieved from a vehicle Mason was standing next to. Mason admitted to placing the firearm in the door pocket of the vehicle. Response time was within two minutes after receiving the 911 call. “Fortunately, due to quick response and decisive action, no one was harmed,” Guyant said.
Mason was subsequently charged with felony carrying a concealed weapon, three counts of communicating threats, and disorderly conduct.
He was scheduled for a first district court appearance today.
