Racine woman facing felony charges in child abuse case

Racine woman accused of failing to prevent child abuse

RACINE (WITI) -- A Racine woman is facing felony charges in connection with a child abuse incident that took place in July 2012 when a close family friend was convicted of child abuse and intentionally causing harm.

The District Attorney's Office says it had an outstanding warrant on Laurie Hernandez but were unable to locate her. Now she is being accused of trying to cover up the situation.

According the the criminal complaint, a young boy says he was "hit almost every day" by Mark Perine. Court documents say the man used a leather belt to repeatedly beat the child, causing welts and bruises on his back.

"I don't like the situation," said Ron Kerner, a relative of Hernandez. "Laurie was in the hospital when this was happening. When she got home from the hospital she really didn't know what was going on."

The criminal complaint states Hernandez knew the child was being abused, but chose not to do anything about it. She allegedly told the boy to "wear a shirt all day and make sure nobody looked at his back."

"I don't believe she said that," added Kerner.

Perine claimed he disciplined the child a couple times a week with Hernandez's permission. Family members say the child and his sibling were removed from the home after the marks were discovered.

"They are in foster care right now," said Kerner. "I'm happy they are being taken care of and out of that situation."

Perine was sentenced for the crime in October 2012 and is currently serving jail time. Hernandez is now facing two counts of failure to act to prevent bodily harm to a child.

Hernandez was scheduled to appear in court on Thursday, August 1st, but did not have an attorney. Her initial court appearance has been rescheduled for August 8th. She was given a $10,000 signature bond.