ST. CROIX — A woman has been arrested on charges of child abuse, after authorities discovered that a 12-year old boy told a relative about the punishment meted out to him for theft.

According to court documents, police were alerted on Sunday to the incident, and responding officers spoke to a woman who told them she had been awoken from sleep by tapping on the window. It was her young relative, who she had raised from approximately seven weeks old until the age of eight. The boy told the older woman that his mother, Shelva Smith, had burned his hand on the stove for an infraction. The relative then called 911 and requested the assistance of police and emergency medical services. The boy was transported to hospital via ambulance.

She told police when they arrived that once Ms. Smith had claimed her child back after eight years, he always seemed to suffer some kind of “mishap”. She relayed her suspicions of abuse and told officers that she has contacted the Department of Human Services about her concerns on more than one previous occasion. READ MORE...https://viconsortium.com/vi-crime/virgin-islands-mother-accused-of-burning-son-s-hand-on-stove-as-doctors-order-off-island-treatment-for-injuries