An Indiana man is charged with neglect and intimidation against four children who said he threatened to suffocate them if they didn’t go to sleep, beat them, and forced them to stand in a corner for hours.
Hancock Superior Court Judge Dan Marshall issued four no contact orders on 35-year-old Curtis Edward Bordenkircher after giving him a $600 bond, which the defendant immediately paid and walked out of jail, the Greenfield Daily Reporter said.
According to a probable cause affidavit, the four children were at Bordenkircher’s home in early October. One of the victims told child advocates that he beat her with a belt and dragged her by the ankles, then forced her to stand in the corner until he legs went numb while calling her a “disappointment, dumb and retarded.”
A second victim said that Bordenkircher shoved her against a wall several times, grabbed her by the neck, and repeatedly threatened her.
The third victim said Bordenkircher told him and his siblings he would “slaughter them in their sleep” if they didn’t “shut up.” He said he displayed a knife at the children as he made the threats.
The fourth victim said that Bordenkircher made the children stand in the corner for as long as six hours at a time and that the kids would sneak to the bathroom when their abuser left the house for a few minutes.
The court document said that officers were called after one of the children texted their mother and alerted her about what was happening. Bordenkircher told the officer the kids were fine, but when asked if they were having a good night, all four children shook their heads “no.” The younger children began crying.
The children told the responding officers that Bordenkircher threatened to beat them and then followed through and that he had threatened to kill them. One of the children told deputies that he threatened to shove her through the wall if she didn’t shut up after she saw him beat another child with a belt.
According to WXIN, the children said that Bordenkircher “drinks a lot beer” when they’re at his home.
“He drinks so much a day and then he just gets mad at us,” one victim said. “Beer, after beer, after beer.”
Another victim said he literally told the children they would stand “in the corner until your legs are numb.”
“I have no sympathy for you,” he allegedly said. “You stand all night.”
Court documents say officers went to Bordenkircher’s home to speak with him about the allegations on October 15, when he blamed the children’s mother, who, he said, “manipulates” the children.
It’s not clear why Bordenkircher was charged only with neglect and intimidation nor why he got a miniscule $600 bond. It’s also not clear why the children were at his home to begin with or what connection he has with them.
The judge entered not guilty pleas on Bordenkircher’s behalf, and he is due in court again on December 4, the Daily Reporter said. He faces a maximum 2 1/2 years in prison if convicted on the charges, WXIN said.
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[Featured image: Curtis Edward Bordenkircher/Hancock County Sheriff’s Office]
