SEDALIA, Mo. (AP) _ A Sedalia man has been charged with physically abusing
three children over several years.
Pettis County authorities on Tuesday charged 48-year-old James Hays Jr. with
three counts of abuse or neglect of a child. He is being held on $1 million
bond.
The Sedalia Democrat reports the children are ages 12, 9 and 8. Their
grandmother took them to a hospital in July after seeking large bruises on their
bodies.
A probable cause statement says the children told investigators Hays would
kick them, withhold food and make them eat hot peppers. The 12-year-old also
told police the children had been forced to sleep in a bathroom for four years.
Online court documents do not list an attorney for Hays, and a hearing has not
been scheduled.
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