By Will Richmond GateHouse News Service
Posted May 09, 2008 @ 11:13 PM
Freetown —
After twice noticing an elementary school student with signs of physical abuse, police arrested the child’s mother Thursday.
Etta Goldberg, 47, of 87 S. Main St., is being charged with assault and battery on a child resulting in substantial injury, violation of an abuse prevention order and possession of a Class E drug.
Police said for the second time in a month an officer responded to the elementary school to investigate reports of injuries to a 7-year-old student.
During the first incident, school staff showed School Resource Officer Benjamin Levesque bruising on the child’s arm. Police said that when the child was interviewed, various stories were given about how the injuries were caused.
During a follow-up interview, Goldberg gave a differing account, police said.
Police said the state Department of Social Services was contacted and declined to come to the school to interview the mother or child.
Following that incident, police continued to investigate and learned Goldberg had recently been arrested in Connecticut after witnesses told police they observed her beating the child with a stick. A Connecticut court issued an abuse prevention order.
Police said the second incident came to light Wednesday when school staff alerted police when the child appeared to have a broken wrist.
Police arrested Goldberg when she arrived at the elementary school. The child was taken ambulance to a local hospital.
By Brian Fraga
Standard-Times staff writer
May 13, 2008 6:00 AM
FREETOWN — The mother of a 7-year-old Freetown Elementary School student has been charged with physically abusing the girl.
Etta Goldberg, 47, of Assonet was arraigned last week on the child abuse charges. Freetown police have investigated injuries to her daughter twice in three weeks.
The state Department of Social Services became involved in late February when a mandated reporter filed an abuse complaint.
DSS made an unannounced home visit on April 15 to the mother of three after being notified by police of an abuse allegation.
Alison Goodwin, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Health and Human Services, said Ms. Goldberg's children have been in DSS custody since May 7, the day of the most recent alleged abuse. On that day, school officials reported to police the 7-year-old had what appeared to be a broken wrist.
School Resource Officer Benjamin Levesque questioned the girl, then contacted DSS, but said the agency declined to come to the school to interview Ms. Goldberg and her child.
"You would think DSS would promptly attend to that matter," Police Chief Carlton Abbott said.
Ms. Goodwin noted DSS did visit the mother's home later that day.
On the first complaint of abuse, police were notified by school staff of bruises on the girl's arm.
As they conducted their investigation, police learned Ms. Goldberg had been arrested in Connecticut in late April for allegedly striking the same child with a sawed-off broom handle, Chief Abbott said.
"The bottom line is we have a pattern of abuse here with physical violence and we're not going to tolerate it," Chief Abbott said.
Ms. Goldberg was arraigned May 8 in Fall River District Court on charges of assault and battery on a child, violation of an abuse prevention order and possession of a Class E controlled substance.
The Bristol County District Attorney's Office requested Ms. Goldberg be held on $10,000 bail, but a judge imposed $1,000 cash bail, which Ms. Goldberg posted.
She is scheduled to return to court May 30.
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