A Carter County woman faces domestic abuse and child abuse charges following an incident where police say she struck her child in the face.
Carter County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Issac Rhea arrested Brooke Amber Thornburg, 34, of 369 Garrison Hollow Road, Apt. 3, Elizabethton, on Wednesday on a warrant charging her with domestic assault and child abuse.
The charges against Thornburg stem from an incident on Oct. 9 when Rhea responded to a home in Roan Mountain after a 911 caller stated he wanted to report a domestic assault.
When Rhea arrived on scene, he spoke with Travis Hill who told the officer he had received a text message from Gina Yates, the grandmother of his 7-year-old son, telling him that he needed to come pick his son.
“Mr. Hill stated that he was told that the mother, Brooke Thornburg, had assaulted (the child) at her residence,” Rhea said. “While on scene I spoke to (the child) and he stated that his mother had hit and scratched his face. I observed scratch marks on the right side of his face and he left eye was starting to turn black.”
“I later spoke to the grandmother who sent the message, Gina Yates, who stated that Brooke was trying to get (the child) to leave with her but (he) did not want to go,” Rhea continued. “Ms. Yates stated that Brooke knocked (the child) down and started hitting him in the face. Ms. Yates stated that she grabbed (the child) from Brooke and shut him up in a bedroom to keep Brooke from further hurting him.”
After speaking with Hill, Yates and the child, Rhea said he obtained a warrant charging Thornburg with domestic assault and child abuse. Rhea served the warrant on Thornburg late Wednesday night and transported her to the Carter County Detention Center, where she remains held under a $12,000 bond.