When you think of a grandmother, what comes to mind? For me, it's a sweet old lady who spoils her grandchildren by plying them with love, cookies, and the occasional $10 bill so they can "buy themselves something nice." Or maybe that's too old-fashioned. A modern grandma might own a business and teach her grand kids how to save money for a rainy day. But never, ever in my life could I picture a grandmother doing the disgusting thing Karen Sharpe did to teach her 11-year-old granddaughter a lesson after the child stepped on her injured foot. The 54-year-old gagged the girl with a soiled pair of men's underwear. And the details get even more gruesome.
Sharpe is being held with a $1 million bond on kidnapping charges and charges that she endangered a child after allegedly taping a feces-soiled pair of men's underwear to her granddaughter's mouth. When the girl vomited, grandma told her to "swallow it." The entire incident was caught on cellphone video by the girl's 13-year-old sister, who reportedly had been punched in the head by her grandmother. Adding to these heinous details, the same girl had to have a metal plate placed in her head because she had been abused by another adult at some point in her life.
A cop who arrived on the scene reportedly called this the "most disgusting, heinous case of child abuse" he'd ever seen. I couldn't agree more. Right now, we have no idea where mom or dad are or what they have to say about this incident. As someone who feels bad when I lose my temper and yell at my toddler, I can't even imagine how this woman could think up such an evil punishment for her own flesh and blood. I'm guessing her own life situation is less than ideal and that she is reacting in the same way she has been treated by others.
But still. No excuses. I believe this woman deserves the maximum penalty for this crime and for betraying her granddaughters' trust and, basically, screwing up their lives. Thank God the girl's older sister had the courage to tape and report her grandmother and, with hope, they have loving relatives who can take care of them.
Are you shocked by the details of this crime?
Image via forayinto355mm/Flickr