LEXINGTON COUNTY, SC — A 5-year-old Lexington boy was hospitalized for three days with open wounds on his body after he was beaten with a switch made from a tree branch.

Heidi Michelle Oberg, a 26-year-old Lexington woman who had legal custody of the boy, is in the Lexington County Detention Center on a charge of unlawful conduct toward a child. Her bond was set at $75,000, the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department reported. She faces a maximum of 10 years in prison.

Courtney Michelle Woodard, 29, of Lexington has been charged with second-degree assault in the case, the sheriff’s department reported. She was released Monday on a $20,000 bond. She faces a maximum of three years in prison.

Deputies were called to the home around 5 p.m. Sunday. Witnesses who were outside the home told deputies they could hear the boy crying and someone inside yelling profanities and making derogatory comments to the child, the sheriff’s report said.

When deputies went inside, they found the boy facing the wall while sitting in a chair in the living room. An 18-inch switch that was a half inch to a quarter inch in diameter was on the floor, the report said. Pieces of broken wood were strewn on the floor.

The arrest warrant said Woodard held the boy against the wall while Oberg whipped the him. Deputies smelled alcohol on Oberg’s breath, the report said.

The boy had red marks on his back and open wounds on his face, arms, legs and upper torso. He was released Tuesday afternoon from Palmetto Health Richland hospital.

Reach Phillips at (803) 771-8307.