According to a Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office news release, authorities arrested 30-year-old Kimberly Cruz-Feliciano and there were several charges brought against her, Fox News reported Monday.
The charges include two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, two counts of aggravated assault, one count of witness tampering with threat of force, and one count of hindering.
An image shows the mother suspected in the case:
The Fox article said that on March 17 the child arrived at Cape May City Elementary School and had marks on their body which authorities said were caused by a dog shock collar. Cruz-Feliciano was arrested the next day.
Per the New York Post, dog shock collars can give electrical charges reaching up to 100 volts.
The suspect’s mother, 59-year-old Sonia Feliciano, was also arrested, according to ABC 6. Officials said she witnessed the alleged abuse and she was eventually charged with hindering and tampering evidence before being cut loose pending court proceedings in the case.
“According to a criminal complaint, the child was forced to wear the shock collar at all times in the home. It was reportedly used when the child made Cruz-Feliciano upset,” the outlet said. The mother reportedly admitted to the abuse and also revealed she had her mother get rid of the device.
When speaking with officers investigating the case, the victim reportedly said the collar was kept charged after the family’s dog died. Per the ABC article, Cruz-Feliciano allegedly threatened to perpetrate more violence if anyone reported the situation to authorities, who have apparently been called out to the home in the past.
For now, officials are holding Cruz-Feliciano inside the Cape May County Correctional Center.
Neighbors said they were shocked at the news. “It’s a shame. We didn’t think it was that serious. It was just a lot of yelling,” one man stated.
A similar instance in New Jersey happened in 2022 when three women were accused of putting an electric shock dog collar around a girl’s neck, and the victim alleged the abuse had been going on for years, NBC Philadelphia reported:
“I couldn’t fathom. Who puts a dog collar, first of all, who puts it on their dog, let alone on a child?” the neighbor, whom the girl ran to for help, said.
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