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Callender woman charged with 10 counts of child endangerment

A Callender woman is facing 10 counts of felony child endangerment after investigators say she knew her children were being physically abused and failed to report the abuse.

Michelle Lynn McMullen, 28, of Callender, was arrested Wednesday evening by the Webster County Sheriff’s Office. She is charged with 10 counts of child endangerment – bodily injury, all Class D felonies.

According to the court records, McMullen knew one of her children was being physically abused and didn’t report it until asked about it by the Department of Human Services. McMullen also intentionally broke a safety plan put in place by DHS, allowing her children to be unsupervised with Joseph Hill, who is charged with a battery of felony sexual abuse and child endangerment charges involving the children in McMullen’s home. She also “sent a text message about punching her child because he had told her he was being abused,” one criminal complaint says.

The charges against McMullen involve at least four different children.

McMullen had her initial appearance in Webster County Magistrate Court on Thursday morning. She is being held at the Webster County Jail on a $50,000 cash-only bond. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 17.

If convicted of all 10 charges, McMullen faces up to 50 years in prison.

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