A North Carolina woman faces 13 criminal charges in connection with a Guilford County child abuse case in which she allegedly poured hot wax on the heads and necks of her three young children while neighbours heard the children screaming for help.
Sabrina Lauren Spruill, 40, of Browns Summit, was arrested on 23 June, according to court records obtained by WFMY News 2. She faces three counts each of child abuse, assault on a child under 12, strangulation and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, as well as a single charge of communicating threats.
Neighbours called 911 after hearing the children, aged 8, 7 and 4, in distress at the family home in the 300 block of Caseybrook Court, a residential street just north-east of Greensboro. Several neighbours entered the property before deputies arrived.
According to a statement of probable cause, Spruill had been choking and holding down all three children at separate times during the confrontation. She also allegedly poured hot wax on the children’s heads and necks, reportedly telling those present she was ‘going to get the devil out of them.’
Guilford County Child Abuse Charges: What Deputies Found Inside the Home
Deputies from the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office entered the property and found it in what they described as ‘extremely filthy condition and very unsanitary.’ All three children had visible marks and bruises on their necks, arms and legs consistent with prior abuse.
The refrigerator in the home was locked and could not be accessed, leaving no edible food available to the children. There was no bedding in the home. Deputies noted the children were unclean and appeared malnourished.
The youngest child, aged 4, told officers that his ‘mom needs to go to jail because she hits them.’
WXII 12 reports that court documents in the case also reference a current Child Protective Services (CPS) case involving the family, indicating that child welfare concerns had previously been raised about the household.
Prior Concerns and Bail
One neighbour told WFMY News 2 that ‘nothing was ever done’ prior to the arrest, suggesting concerns about the children’s welfare had been communicated to authorities before the 23 June incident.
Spruill’s bond was initially set at $75,000 but was subsequently increased to $250,000 following the allegations, according to a separate report by WFMY News 2.
Spruill has not yet entered a plea to the charges. Subject to any further proceedings, the case is expected to move to the Guilford County courts. The three children were removed from the home following the deputies’ intervention and are no longer in Spruill’s care.
