A 30-year-old Augusta mother has been arrested and five children removed from her care after authorities say she beat her daughter with a belt over a missing soda and kept children in unlivable conditions.
Cassandra Lekeisha Lawson was charged Wednesday with first-degree cruelty to children and five counts of contributing to the delinquency or dependency of a minor. The arrest followed an investigation by the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office and the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS).
According to the sheriff’s report, deputies were called to a residence on Abelia Drive Tuesday after a neighbor saw a young girl running down the street crying. The child told the neighbor that her mother had beaten her with a belt because a soda had gone missing.
During a DFCS interview, the girl said she had been ordered to retrieve a belt, then strip down, before being held down by both her mother and stepfather during the beating. She alleged that Lawson pinned her by the neck while the stepfather held her legs to prevent her from escaping. After being made to stand in the corner, the girl fled the home, a sheriff’s report says.
While officers were still on scene, a second call came in from a home on Haverhill Court, where Lawson reported the child as a runaway. She reportedly told deputies she planned to beat the child again for leaving, claiming it was her right as a parent.
When DFCS agents and deputies arrived at the second home, they found it in squalid condition, the report says. Investigators noted exposed wiring, no running water, and a refrigerator that had to be unplugged to power medical equipment necessary for one of the children.
Following interviews and a site inspection, DFCS removed all five children — ranging in age from 1 to 13 — and placed them with various relatives.
Lawson and her partner, Zechariah Ray Jr., were transported to the sheriff’s office for further questioning. There is no indication Ray has been charged.
The case has been turned over to the Criminal Investigations Division.
