Additional charges filed against father accused of extreme abuse

Naugatauck, Connecticut: In October 2020, charges were initially filed against Kevin Grant and his wife Elizabeth Baptiste concerning the abuse of four children between the ages of 5 and 11 in their home.

Now, additional charges have been filed against 33-year-old Grant following investigators becoming aware of additional allegations of abuse back on May 13, 2022.

Grant was arrested by the US Marshals on August 10, 2022 on an active warrant that had been issued.

After transportation to the Naugatauck Police Department he was booked on charges of intentional cruelty to persons, risk of injury to a child and reckless endangerment in the second degree.

According to VINE, he was released on $50,000 bail on Monday, August 15, and is due back in court on October 5, 2022 for a hearing.

Baptiste is due back in court the same day on charges filed against her during the initial 2020 investigation.

"This is an extreme case," Brendan Burke, Assistant Child Advocate for the Connecticut Office of the Child Advocate told WVIT-TV. "It's alarming and extremely troubling."

Citing the affidavit filed in the case, WVIT-TV details that Grant is accused of confining a child in a closet and providing a box when the child had to use the restroom. Once released, Grant is said to have forced the child to eat their feces in front of their siblings.

In another incident, Grant is accused of beating a child with a belt so severely that the child was left unable to walk.

Additionally, allegations were made that the children were forced to use a bat with thumbtacks on it against each other.

Grant is additionally accused of putting firecrackers down a child's pants and watching as they went off.

Deputy Commissioner Williams said, "Children are the most vulnerable people in our population. I believe that people should believe children when they say that somebody is hurting them, believe them."

He disclosed that out of the 13,000 cases that the Department of Children and Families investigate in the state of Connecticut each year, 93% involve neglect and the remaining 7% involve physical or sexual abuse.

Burke expressed disappointment that the abuse went on as long as it did.

"There were several members of the family and community involved with this family and child, who probably could have intervened earlier, but didn't take the opportunity to, and that's unfortunate."

Williams echoed the sentiment saying, "What allows child abuse to continue is the darkness, is the ability for people to know that they can get away with it. But once the light is on, and knowledge of it occurring is happening, it stops."