Loretta Ernestine Marie Ford, 22, was charged with felony child abuse inflicting serious bodily injury after injuring her 2-month-old daughter, according to a magistrate’s order.
Kim Nelson, one of Ford's neighbors, told WGHP-TV she was sitting on her porch Tuesday afternoon when she heard a baby crying. Ford and the baby were nearby, Nelson said, and Ford was punching the baby and holding a lighter up to her feet.
Nelson and her roommate, Sidney Sims, rushed over and stopped Ford.
“I asked the lady (Ford) for her child. She released the child to me. I comforted the child,” Sims said. “I noticed, actually, there was something more extreme in regards to the burns on the bottom of her foot.”
Nelson and Sims called the police. The baby was taken to a hospital, where she was diagnosed with second- and third-degree burns on her toes and feet.
A Greensboro Police Department spokesperson said the case is still under investigation.
About the Author