CHICKASHA Okla. – An Oklahoma mother has been locked up for locking the fridge and keeping water and liquids from her 3-year-old.
The district attorney’s office said Deonna Clanton is now facing child abuse charges.
Clanton is sitting in the Grady County Jail with a bail set at $150,000.
“You can’t deny a kid a drink,” said Sandy Dees, a former coworker of Clanton.
Court documents said that’s exactly what Clanton did to her son. The 27-year-old mother of three allegedly confessed to Grady County investigators.
The affidavit shows the child was admitted to OU Children’s Hospital. He showed signs of dehydration and failure to thrive.
Medical records also indicated the boy had hypernatemia, too much sodium in his blood, which made him excessively thirsty.
The boy was also malnourished, had bruises on his body and Clanton said the nutritionist recommended only eight ounces of water a day – but the nutritionist denies that to investigators.
“It just breaks my heart how bad that is,” Dees said.
Dees worked with Clanton three years ago and said the mother had previous issues with her kids. Dees said she wasn’t surprised by the allegations.
Clanton admitted to locking the boy’s bedroom and the fridge to keep him out.
“She didn’t let the kid have anything to drink – and I am very, very mad,” Dees said.
Authorities also said the child drank perfume during a home visit from the caseworker. Clanton said he did it for attention.
“I was very, very mad because I worked with her like three years ago. It just amazes me how stupid people are,” Dees said.
DHS said the mother didn’t treat her other children like this and claim the boy was a target. He was removed from Clanton’s care and placed with a relative.
