COUNTY— A Liberty woman and her boyfriend each face charges of abuse after Pickens County deputies say a 5-year-old child was forced to place his hand to a hot kerosene heater as a form of punishment for bed wetting.

The Pickens County Sheriff’s Office arrested the victim’s mother, Melinda Roxanne Ramey, 24, of 5102 Moorefield Memorial Highway, and Ramey’s boyfriend, Ernesto Gonzalez Sanchez, 31, on Monday.
Ramey was charged with abuse, allowing another person to inflict great bodily harm upon a child, while Sanchez was charged with abuse to inflict great bodily injury upon a child.

According to arrest warrants, deputies believe that on or about February 14, the victim was allegedly forced by Sanchez to place his hand on top of a heater as punishment for wetting the bed.
According to Sanchez’s warrant, as a result of the punishment the victim received several large burns to his hand which will result in permanent disfigurement.

In Ramey’s arrest warrant, deputies say they believe that she allegedly allowed the incident to occur and made no attempt to report the incident to authorities.

The sheriff’s office was notified by a relative of the victim concerning the possibility of child abuse.
According to the PCSO, warrants were served in the case on Monday. Bail has been set at $25,000 for Sanchez and $10,000 for Ramey. As of press time, the couple remained in jail at the Pickens County Law Enforcement Center.

The victim and his two older brothers are currently in the care of relatives. Warrants said deputies believed the two brothers witnessed the incident.