CAMDEN — By BRADLY GILL
Staff writer
A couple charged with attempted murder for the salt poisoning of a five-year-old had their first appearance before a judge in July according to Ouachita County District Court Documents.
Antwon Davidson and Janecia Moore, both of Camden, are currently being held in Ouachita County Detention Center on $100,000 bond and are charged with 1st degree attempted murder, 1st degree domestic battery and permitting the abuse of a minor. They face up to 30 years for the attempted murder charge and up to 20 years for the domestic batter and permitting the abuse of a minor charges.
The child is Davidson’s daughter and Moore is Davidson’s girlfriend.
Court documents state that, “On July 6, 2018 at 1359 hours, Officer Jones responded to Ouachita County Medical Center for a suspected child abuse report Contact was made with an emergency room nurse who stated a child had apparently fallen down the stairs and was complaining of her neck hurting.”
The report states that the child ” had snuck out of bed to go down stairs to get her something to drink. They did not allow the child to have anything to drink after 6:00 p.m. due to her having a problem of wetting the bed. Davidson did not hear the child fall but Moore had told him about her falling.”
The report also states that the nurse had concerns about the child’s weight and that she was “bony and undersized.”
A nurse also noticed bruises on the child’s backside and when questioned the child told the staff “Mommy hit me with a belt in the hallway when I pottied on myself.” The documents stated the child told a social worker she was disciplined when she wet herself, but would not provide additional information because, ” Mom and Dad told me not to say anything.”
The child also told the attending nurse that her food is often taken away from her and given to her brother when she eats too slowly and that she is punished for drinking out of the toilet, which she did to slake her extreme thirst. She told the nurse that salt was added to her rice and that she was forced to eat it. Hospital tests showed a high amount of sodium and electrolytes in the child, which a doctor noted was extremely dangerous and consistent with salt poisoning, ” which is a dangerous and potentially fatal mechanism of poisoning.”
Reports also state the child repeatedly asked for food and water in the emergency room and showed no signs of voluntarily limiting her intake of food or liquids.”
Davidson and Moore are set for another court appearance on Oct. 9.