Viroqua, Wis. – A 37-year-old woman from Hillsboro, Wis. was arraigned in Vernon County Circuit Court last week on three counts of physical abuse of a child. Adah Rivera appeared via video along with her attorney Bernardo Cueto and plead not guilty to all three charges.
According to a criminal complaint, Vernon County Sheriff’s investigators were notified about possible abuse from a social worker at the Vernon County Human Services Office in February of this year.
A sheriff’s investigator interviewed all four of Rivera’s children and they described several items they have repeatedly been hit with including a wooden spoon, a paddle stick, a belt with a metal end, back scratchers and a metal pole. The children described being chased and hit with various items. One of the children described an incident where Rivera was driving and pulled over and got a stick from a tree to hit one the children with. One the children said Rivera would “backhand” them across the face and sometimes throw objects a them like dishes or silverware.
One of the children also produced a recording for investigators of an incident when Rivera chased one of the other children into the house after calling Rivera a name. While the incident was happening, the other child made a sound recording on their phone. According to the complaint the recording went on for several minutes and the child is heard shouting “no mommy, don’t hurt me.” The report goes on to say Rivera can be heard threatening to paddle the child more, and then what sounded like someone being hit.
One of the children who was 9-years-old at the time of the complaint said Rivera spanked them so hard it was hard for them to walk, and that Rivera came to their school and spanked them in the bathroom so hard so could barely walk. The child said they have night terrors about the incidents.
The complaint states one of the children told investigators one of their siblings would sometimes take their seat belt off in the car and Rivera would intentionally “brake check” her vehicle causing the child, who was 5-years-old at the time of the complaint, to fly into the seat in front of them. They described that as happening almost every day. That same child said they have night terrors about the abuse.
Investigators later went to Rivera’s home and executed a search warrant and recovered several of the items the children had described that were used to hit them with in the location they told investigators they were kept.
Rivera is charged with three counts physical abuse of a child – intentionally cause bodily harm. The charges are all H felonies that carry a maximum sentence of six years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Vernon County Circuit Court Judge Darcy Rood found that here was sufficient probable cause to proceed to a trial. Rivera waived her right to a preliminary hearing and pleaded not guilty to all three counts. The case is scheduled to be back in Vernon County Circuit Court on May 23 at 1:00 p.m. for a status conference.
Add comment