A Carnation Washington father accused of starving his 14-year-old daughter pleaded guilty Monday morning as prosecutors continue to press charges against the girl's stepmother.
Prosecutors filed charges Oct. 13 against the girl's father, Jon E. Pomeroy, and stepmother, Rebecca A. Long, nearly two months after the girl was removed from the home by the state Department of Social and Health Services.
| Pomeroy | ||
Sheriff's deputies arrived at the Carnation home the evening of Aug. 13, 2008, after neighbors reported hearing a girl screaming. In court documents, the deputy sheriff who interviewed the then-14- year-old described her as "extremely skinny and pale" and found she weighed only 48 pounds.
Their daughter told police she was allowed only about 6 ounces of water each day and was monitored by Long when she bathed to keep her from "sneaking" extra water. Pomeroy, she told police, was aware that she was being starved but did nothing to stop it.
Initially facing two counts of criminal mistreatment, Pomeroy pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree criminal mistreatment. Long remains charged with two counts of criminal mistreatment, and faces 31 to 41 months in prison if convicted as charged.
Speaking following Pomeroy's plea, Senior Deputy Prosecutor Zachary Wagnild said he will seek the maximum sentence falling within the state sentencing guidelines, a 3 1/2-year prison term.
Since being placed with a foster family following her parents' arrests, the girl, now 15, has seen her condition improve, Wagnild said, though her growth remains stunted due to years of abuse.
"She'd doing well," Wagnild said. "She's probably not getting a lot taller, but she's gaining weight."
Seated in court, the girl appeared healthy and well cared for, if small for her age. Pomeroy and Long have both been barred from contacting the girl; Wagnild said he will seek a long-term protection order at Pomeroy's sentencing to prevent the 43-year-old from contacting the girl or her younger brother.
In a statement to the court, Pomeroy admitted to sitting by as Long denied his daughter food and water. He also said he did not believe Long to have been suffering from any mental illness during the years he and his wife abused the girl.
In statements to police, Long allegedly said she used the water restriction to punish her stepdaughter. The couple's young son showed no signs of mistreatment.
Doctors evaluating the girl found nearly all of her teeth were either eroded or chipped, according to court documents. She was "extremely malnourished," the doctors said, and hadn't gained any weight since she was 9 years old.
Speaking after Monday's hearing, Wagnild disputed assertions that Long was somehow more culpable than Pomeroy for the harm done to the girl.
"He was the biological father, and he knew what was going on," Wagnild said. "To say that he had a lesser role is not something I could go along with."
Pomeroy fled from the courtroom immediately after the hearing's conclusion and did not take questions from reporters.
Both Long and Pomeroy had previously been released from the King County Jail after each posted $20,000 bond. Pomeroy is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 18.
(if only criminals could receive the kind of treatment that they've doled out!)
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