WARNING: Graphic content. Discretion is advised.
GLENDALE, ARIZONA: An Arizona mother, Chloe Rae Sergent and her partner, Keola Wimbish, have been sentenced to 20 years each in prison for subjecting a 10-year-old child to severe abuse. Both had pleaded guilty to child abuse charges.
The abuse victim, who was Chloe Rae Sergent's daughter, had showed signs of being starved, had burn wounds and infected injuries.
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell announced that Chloe Rae Sergent, 27, the child's mother, and Keola Wimbish, 40, who was her boyfriend, would also have to comply with 10 years of supervised probation after their 20-year prison term.
When was Chloe Rae Sergent and her partner arrested?
According to court documents obtained by Phoenix TV station KTVK, Chloe Rae Sergent and Keola Wimbish were arrested on April 5, 2022, at 32nd Street and Thomas Road after a family member reported the abuse to authorities.
This was after child welfare investigators took a young girl away from Wimbish and Sergent in December 2021.
Court documents filed in the case stated that the doctors who examined the girl after she was rescued had found at least a dozen broken bones, and several bruises. One cut was so deep that the bone was exposed.
Some of the victim's injuries were infected and there was also evidence of burns. Some of the child's injuries needed surgical intervention to heal properly and doctors said she was malnourished.
Initially, the girl shifted the blame to another individual regarding the abuse. However, according to documents, she subsequently disclosed to investigators that Wimbish and Sergent had coerced her into fabricating falsehoods.
The child suffered physical attacks, was denied adequate food, lacked proper medical care for injuries, and there was evidence that the child had been set on fire.
What did Chloe Sergent do?
Chloe Sergent reportedly admitted to investigators that the child had been struck several times with heavy objects. Investigations revealed more disturbing details about the abuse.
The victim told the police that Wimbish had once waterboarded her and set her on fire using alcohol.
Per court documents, she reported that Wimbish also sexually abused her, hit her with a crowbar and hammer, and even had another child in the home strike her with a weapon. She also said Sergent broke her nose and burned her, and that both forced her to do drugs from a straw.
Family members also informed authorities that they had never seen the defendants feed the child.
Who is Chloe Rae Sergent's victim?
The identity of Chloe Rae Sergent's victim, who was her own 10-year-old daughter, remains undisclosed.
She was reportedly removed from the custody of Chloe Rae Sergent and Keola Wimbish on December 10, 2021, by child welfare investigators and is now safe.
What weapons did Keola Wimbish and Chloe Sergent use?
Police reports indicate that the weapons employed in the child abuse included a machete, a crowbar, and a hammer.
Wimbish is also accused of inflicting a laceration on one of the girl's fingers, choking her against a door, and coercing her into inappropriate physical contact.
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said in a news release announcing the sentencing, "The abuse this child suffered at the hands of the people who were supposed to love and care for her is horrific."
The attorney continued, "I’m particularly grateful to this young victim who was willing to bravely tell her story. Thanks to the intervention of a caring relative, thorough investigation by police, and hard work by MCAO prosecutors, justice was done."
