Wagener woman charged with cruelty to children
Jan. 27—A Wagener woman was arrested on Jan. 12 in connection to child neglect.
Keyonda Monquie Pontoo, 25, is charged with cruelty to children (torture, deprivation).
On Jan. 12, Aiken Department of Public Safety officers responded to Aiken Barnwell Mental Health in reference to a possible case of child abuse in the parking lot.
When officers arrived, they met with the suspect and her three children, ages 4, 3 and 1.
A witness said she saw the suspect "take a small child out of the back seat of a blue vehicle and strike the [3-year-old] child multiple times with a large stick," according to an incident report obtained from the Aiken Department of Public Safety.
Officers noted the 3-year-old girl had welts on the lower and upper thigh region.
Police contacted the Department of Social Services (DSS) and an Aiken Public Safety investigator. The investigator told responding officers there had been a previous encounter with the suspect in a case of possible child neglect.
The suspect was arrested and transported to the Aiken County detention center.
A family member took custody of the children.
