Parents burned toddler with an iron, causing 3rd-degree burns, SC cops say

Two South Carolina parents were charged with child abuse after their son was hospitalized with second- and third-degree burns from an iron, according to authorities.

Arthur Shingler, Jr., 50, and Tara Thompson, 40, were each charged with unlawful conduct toward a child, the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday. They were identified in arrest warrants as the mother and father of the young victim.

Sheriff Leroy Ravenell said investigators were called to a Vance home in November after a female relative of the boy noticed burn marks on his legs.

The relative said she asked the boy’s father what had happened to the toddler, and he told her the iron fell on him, according to the incident report. She gave the child first aid.

Having the left the child in the care of another relative, the woman went to work, deputies say. When she returned, she noticed the boy was limping, and took him to a hospital.

Doctors recommended to be transferred to the burn center in Augusta after discovering several second- and third-degree burns on his legs, according to warrants and the incident report.

Bond was set on the couple during a hearing on Tuesday at $50,000 each.

Unlawful conduct toward a child carries up to 10 years in prison, under South Carolina law.

This story was originally published February 20, 2019 at 8:59 AM.