COBB COUNTY. Ga. — A 21-month-old child may be taken off life support Monday after he was hospitalized over the weekend, police said.
The child’s parents, who were both recent graduates of Marietta High School, have been arrested.
Shomari Holmes is charged with aggravated battery and child cruelty, and the child’s mother, Chantelle Driver, is charged with cruelty and deprivation charges for witnessing the abuse and not seeking help, police said
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Neighbor Karla Bond told Channel 2's Ross Cavitt that she would see the couple wheeling their two young children in a stroller through their complex, but there was a different scene this weekend.
"(They were) like a normal family. I thought it was cute, like a young couple, a young family," Bond said.
According to the arrest warrants in the case, the child was injured long before police were called, and the child was acting "lethargic and scared" for the last week.
The child was rushed to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, where he remains on life support. Warrants also said a 3-year-old girl in the apartment had suffered some abuse, and police placed her in state custody.
"I have a 4-year-old grandson and I just can't imagine someone harming a child to the point … you know, it's heartbreaking. There are no words for it. It's just awful," Bond said.
Marietta PD jails parents after 21-month-old boy found clinging to life in apartment. Child showed signs of abuse; on life support. @wsbtv pic.twitter.com/EqDvIepUzY
— Ross Cavitt (@RossCavitt) February 13, 2017
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Cox Media Group
