The Wood County Courthouse in Wisconsin Rapids, where Aaron Rakowski and Melissa Rakowski are being prosecuted for child neglect (Google Maps).
A Wisconsin couple is accused of forcing a child to do jumping jacks or run up and down their driveway, which was on a big hill, as punishment. The child also allegedly had to use stuffed animals as pillows and was starved until she eventually ran away.
Aaron Rakowski, 46, and Melissa Rakowski, 41, are facing charges of being a party to the crimes of child neglect resulting in great bodily harm and causing mental harm to a child.
Criminal complaints for the couple, which were obtained by the Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune, say that on May 15, an investigator with the Wood County Sheriff's Office responded to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Marshfield Children's Hospital in Marshfield after the victim was brought there.
The girl had run away from home two weeks earlier and was later found in a neighbor's garbage can, according to the complaints. She suffered frostbite and the Rakowskis allegedly refused to care for her properly.
Doctors reported that the girl had a large cut on her Achilles tendon and bruising on the bridge of her nose and around her eye, as well as a nosebleed, the Tribune reports.
Aaron Rakowski allegedly told police the girl ran away in February and developed frostbite at that time. He claimed the girl was taken to a medical facility but they were told there was nothing that could be done, according to the complaints.
Aaron Rakowski allegedly said the cut on the girl's leg was from the frostbite, while other injuries on her legs were caused because she did not put lotion on them. He told police she did not harm herself beyond scratching herself, according to the complaints. The injuries to her nose and the bruising on her face were allegedly attributed to her running into a branch in the dark.
According to the complaints, Aaron Rakowski initially told police the girl had been prescribed lithium on May 12 and later began complaining that her leg hurt. He allegedly said she became slower, complained of pain in her legs and began retaining water.
Rakowski later corrected himself, however, claiming the prescription had actually been issued on May 7, according to the complaints.
Melissa Rakowski allegedly spoke with medical staff about the girl's condition on May 13. Staff told her that if the girl did not improve within two days, she should be taken to a hospital — and she wasn't, according to police.
The Rakowskis allegedly believed the girl was improving until they found her acting lethargic. That's when the couple took her to an emergency room.
Doctors reported that the girl had only a third of the blood she should have had and a body temperature of 84 degrees, according to the complaints. Aaron Rakowski allegedly claimed a doctor told him the girl had an enlarged heart.
It was later discovered that the girl had kwashiorkor, a severe form of malnutrition caused by a lack of protein in the diet, according to the complaints. Doctors said the condition can cause skin problems, water retention, a bloated stomach, lethargy and constant crying or bad moods.
The Rakowskis told investigators the girl would eat until her stomach became bloated and then she would vomit, according to the complaints. The couple allegedly placed the girl on a restricted diet and often withheld food from her.
When the child asked for more food, she was repeatedly told no, according to the complaints.
Police say the girl had bladder problems and was forced to stay in soiled clothes during the day after wetting her bed. Melissa Rakowski allegedly refused to give her clean clothes because she did not want to keep doing laundry.
Investigators spoke with the girl and she told them the Rakowskis would punish her by making her do jumping jacks or laps in their driveway, according to the complaints. She was also allegedly forced to stand with her hands above her head and had to use stuffed animals as her pillow.
Police say another child in the home confirmed that the girl was punished often and neglected by the Rakowskis. They said the couple would allegedly make the victim run 50 laps and then another 25 laps if she did something they disapproved of while running.
The girl told police that sometimes she had to run all day, according to the complaints.
Aaron Rakowski and Melissa Rakowski each face a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison, if convicted. They were both released on $5,000 cash bail and are due back in court on Aug. 19.
Comments