An Arizona couple has been sentenced to 20 years each in prison in a case of horrific child abuse and neglect of a 10-year-old girl.
On August 29, 2023, Chloe Rae Sergent, the biological mother of the child, was sentenced to 20 years in the custody of the Arizona Department of Corrections (AZDOC) to be followed by 10 years of supervised probation upon her release from AZDOC.
She had pled guilty to one count of Child Abuse and one count of Attempt to Commit Child Abuse.
The second defendant, Keola Cachero Wimbish, also pled guilty and was sentenced to AZDOC for 20-years to be followed by 10 years of supervised probation on one count of Child Abuse and two counts of Attempt to Commit Child Abuse.
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According to court documents, at the time of the abuse, Keola Wimbish and Chloe Sergent were in a romantic relationship and Wimbish resided with Sergent, the victim, and two other children.
Both defendants were arrested on April 5, 2022, after a family member of the children reported abuse to authorities.
The case details against Sergent and Wimbish are horrific and deeply disturbing. The victim’s description of the abuse she suffered is heartbreaking.
The Arizona Republic reported the victim told authorities that Wimbish punched her, hit her with a machete and crowbar, made the girl consume drugs through a straw, and put her head underwater to ‘waterboard’ her.
The couple also doused the girl’s body in alcohol and set the child on fire.
The child was taken to Phoenix Children’s Hospital where it was discovered that the girl suffered 12 broken bones, burns on her body, and a gash in her leg that exposed the bone, among other injuries.
The girl initially told authorities that she was abused by her uncle but later recanted her story, and told police that her abusers were Sergent and Wimbish.
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“The abuse this child suffered at the hands of the people who were supposed to love and care for her is horrific,” stated County Attorney Rachel Mitchell. “I’m particularly grateful to this young victim who was willing to bravely tell her story. Thanks to the intervention of a caring relative, thorough investigation by police, and hard work by MCAO prosecutors, justice was done.”
If you or someone you know is being abused, please reach out for help. There are many resources available, including the National Child Abuse Hotline (1-800-422-4453). You are not alone.
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