by Jon DeMaster
(WHBL) – A Waldo woman was in court Monday for a plea hearing a year after being arrested on child abuse charges. Theresa Landwehr was picked up last March after Child Protective Services interviewed two children with injuries.
One of the children, who was 13, described times when they were punched in the nose, strangled, and slapped with the back side of a knife as forms of punishment. The child said when she had a broken nose, Landwehr would even hit her in the nose to cause additional pain, and said they suffered this type of abuse multiple times per week.
Landwehr denied the allegations, saying the child was prone to injury and had been cutting herself. Landwehr is facing a felony child abuse charge, which could mean 15 years in prison and $50,000 in fines.
A jury trial had been scheduled for later this month.
