WEST JORDAN — Not only does the stepfather of a wheelchair-bound autistic boy whose mouth was taped shut with duct tape because he wouldn't stop chattering face criminal charges, but so does the 12-year-old's mother.
Court documents say Holly Kimball put the tape on her son's face, before Steven Kimball violently ripped it off.
Steven Kimball was charged with second-degree felony child abuse, while Holly Kimball was charged with inflicting serious injury on a child with criminal negligence, a class A misdemeanor. The charges were filed Friday in 3rd District Court.
Holly Kimball took her two daughters to soccer practice Tuesday and left her son in the care of her husband. The boy's stepmother received a text from Holly Kimball saying the boy "was acting out that day so she put duct tape over his mouth," court documents state. The boy had been acting "badly throughout the day" and "she became frustrated and put a piece of duct tape over this mouth."
After she left, "Steve was frustrated with (the boy) and wanted the removal of the tape to hurt," according to court documents.
After having the tape torn off, there was some residue on the boy's face. Steven Kimball rubbed his face "with a hot towel causing bruising and abrasions on his cheeks, ears and neck," according to court documents. "The residue from the tape would not come off so Steve rubbed (his) face and ear harder and harder."
The boy was born with a form of muscular dystrophy, has been confined to a wheelchair since he was 10 and reportedly has the learning capacity of a first-grader, according to the family.
The boy was taken to a local hospital to be checked out and later released. He reportedly had a half-dollar-size bruise on his left cheek and a smaller one on his left ear, according to a jail report. His right cheek was swollen and discolored and there were scratches on his scalp.
Holly Kimball spoke with reporters from different media outlets Thursday, including the Deseret News. Her story about how much she was aware of what had happened and whether tape had been placed on the boy's mouth before she left the house was not consistent in the interviews.
She told the News she did not condone what her husband did and would not condone it for any child.
"I think he snapped and went overboard this time," she said. "I just want justice to be served and the right thing to happen."
Holly Kimball was ordered to be processed and released from the Salt Lake County Jail prior to her first court hearing. An arrest warrant for Steven Kimball, who was booked into jail after his arrest but later bailed out, was also issued Friday.
e-mail: preavy@desnews.com