Susan Misur, New Haven Register, Conn. –
WEST HAVENA city mother arrested on charges of child abuse can allegedly be seen in videos engaging in rough behavior with her baby, including kicking a baby gate on top of the girl, according to an arrest warrant.
Authorities say Kellie Park, 20, on June 9 recorded and sent eight cellphone videos to her ex-boyfriend, Erick Vece, with seven of them showing the alleged abuse of their 10-month-old daughter.
Park was arrested June 20 and remains in custody in lieu of $50,000 bail, while the child is in the care of the Department of Children and Families, according to police.
Park, of 190 Campbell Ave., allegedly sent Vece 50 to 55 text messages and videos June 9, from around 9:48 a.m. until 10:51 a.m. telling Vece to pick up their daughter, according to the warrant.
Excerpts from the text messages include, “I’ll … break her face,” “Ill beat her … face in,” “Ur daughter now has broking arm no food n no. dislers,” “N ill ket the b—- sit there n cry I anit takinh care of her,” and “I love abusing this kid,” according to the warrant.
Park also appears to taunt Vece about calling authorities, texting, “call them I don’t care. Ur daughter face is done,” “call the cops do me the favor fat pic,” “call the cops im. Sending nice pictures haaha,” the warrant states.
One video shows the baby sitting on the floor while Park says, “Eat stuff off the floor. This is what your dad wants to make me do,” while the next depicts the child sitting in a high chair while Park asks if she’s hungry and “pours/throws” food on her, the warrant continues.
The third recording shows the girl on the living room floor with no diaper as Park says to her, “Here’s some more garbage. Have a ball with no diaper. Maybe you can wear a s—-y diaper. I don’t care, play with cigarettes. Want some Tylenol? Play with that too.” Park then throws an object on the floor that appears to be Tylenol, the warrant says.
In video No. 4, Park kicks a baby gate that the child is standing behind, causing the child to fall under the gate. As the baby cries, Park says, “Don’t you get it? Your father doesn’t care. So guess what? I’m not gonna care,” the warrant notes.
The next video shows a woman, whom Vece confirmed to police is Park, holding a knife in her right hand and making a cutting motion inside her left wrist. No blood is visible, the warrant says.
In another recording, Park is seen taking the baby out of the high chair, putting her in a pack and play, and shaking the pack and play back and forth, according to the warrant. Park can be heard saying, “shake it up” and then tilts the pack and play to one side, causing it to roll on its side and the baby to fall onto the floor. Park then puts her foot on the baby’s chest, the warrant says.
People in West Haven share opinions on infant mistreatment case:
The court document continues describing the videos, saying No. 7 shows the baby on the floor as Park pushes her with her feet and says, “Roll over. You not worth a half cigarette, not worth s—. Roll over, yeah, roll over year, sit there. Yeah your father says I’m not worth something.”
The final video depicts Park pushing the baby with her feet and “telling the child she makes her (Kellie) life miserable and that she hates her. Kellie Park says ‘stop before you get hurt, stop, I’m gonna hurt you,’ at which point Kellie Park freaks out,” the warrant reads.
Vece showed his father the messages and videos, and his father called the police, the warrant adds. Vece told officers Park had been sent to Yale-New Haven Hospital after she threatened to kill herself that day.
Detectives then met with Park’s mother, who told them she is trying to get custody of Park’s 2-year-old daughter and was going to temporarily care for the 10-month-old, according to the warrant.
Detectives told Vece and Park’s mother to bring the baby to the emergency room for evaluation. The child was admitted overnight as a precaution and discharged the next day, according to the warrant.
When Park was released from the hospital, she allegedly fled and was eventually tracked down at a New Haven address by police officers working with federal marshals.
Park faces charges of risk of injury to a minor, cruelty to persons, second-degree threatening and third-degree assault, police said.
Ken Bunker, the public defender representing Park, said Tuesday afternoon that he has met with Park once, so far.
“This is just the beginning of trying to figure out what the full story is,” Bunker said. “She has no record, and I think there’s probably a lot more to it than what’s in the warrant, and that’s usually the case, and we’ll do our best to get a better picture of what’s really going on.”
Park and Vece also have an allegedly violent history. Vece was arrested in March on charges of domestic violence, and a protective order was issued on behalf of Park against Vece, court documents show.
Vece’s arrest warrant from March says that after a verbal dispute, he hit Park in the rib area multiple times and threw work boots at her, though he missed. The warrant also says Vece’s infant daughter was in the apartment during the fight.
