ELKINS, W.Va. (AP) - An Elkins couple accused of forcing a 5-year-old boy to swallow more than a tablespoon of pepper is facing felony child abuse and neglect charges.
The InterMountain says police charged 36-year-old Tina Carver with two counts and 40-year-old Larry Neil Carver with one.
The boy began choking earlier this month and went into full respiratory failure. He was on life support but told child-welfare workers what happened after he'd recovered. Doctors say the pepper was in his stomach and lungs, and he couldn't have ingested that much on his own.
He also told authorities he'd been forced to eat his own feces and suck urine from a diaper because he was hungry and thirsty.
The Carvers were free on bond Tuesday. Their attorneys predict the couple will be exonerated.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
