Woman charged in abuse of son

Staff report

AUSTINTOWN

A 32-year-old township woman is charged in the abuse of her son.

Patsy Higgins, of Woodland Trace Drive, was charged Friday with child endangerment. She is accused of beating her 9-year-old son on the bottom with a spatula and making him wear a diaper, according to a police report.

Higgins pleaded not guilty Monday in Mahoning County Area Court in Austintown and posted a $1,250 bond. She is scheduled for a pretrial hearing Nov. 7.

The boy’s father reported the incident on Aug. 5, telling police that his son complained of a sore buttocks after he was picked from Higgins’ home the previous day. His father then discovered the boy was wearing a pink Pull Ups training diaper.

The victim said he was playing outside at his mother’s house when he had an accident, the report said. Higgins reportedly hit the boy on the buttocks 30 times with a kitchen spatula, leaving visible bruises, then made him wear the diaper.

He said she continued to hit him with the spatula throughout the night, the report said.