TULSA, Okla. — A Tulsa couple was arrested for child abuse on Tuesday.
Ryllie James Gage, 26, was arrested on two counts of child abuse by injury.
Christina Richerson, 27, was arrested on one count of enabling child abuse by injury.
According to an affidavit, on Sept. 18, Tulsa Police were called to Saint Francis Hospital after being notified by DHS about a 3-year-old with extensive bruising consistent with child abuse.
Gage and Richerson were interviewed at the hospital.
The affidavit said that Gage, Richerson’s boyfriend, lived with Richerson and the child in a West Tulsa apartment.
The child had extensive bruising all over his face, head, neck, ears, and buttocks, the affidavit said. A pediatrician who specializes in child abuse confirmed the injuries were consistent with physical child abuse.
According to the affidavit, Gage told police he lost his temper with the child because the child wouldn’t stop crying. He admitted to hitting the child multiple times on the face and head and also spanking the child’s buttocks multiple times. He told police the child continued to scream and cry as he was hitting him. This occurred at the West Tulsa apartment on Sept. 16.
Gage also told police he had previously injured the child, stating the child wouldn’t stop running around the apartment, so he intentionally tripped the child and caused him to fall, the affidavit said. When the child fell, he couldn’t brace himself fast enough and his nose hit the ground, causing it to bleed, and bruising developed under his eyes.
Gage told Tulsa Police that he told Richerson the child fell on accident and that there were pictures of the injury. Police found pictures of the child with an injury to his nose and bruising under his eyes, consistent with Gage’s story, on Richerson’s cellphone. The affidavit said the time stamp on the pictures was dated May 29.
According to an affidavit, Richerson told police she saw the bruises on the child on the night of Sept. 16, and that she saw the bruises darken the next morning before dropping him off at daycare.
Richerson told police Gage told her the bruises were from a fall on playground equipment.
The affidavit said that due to the amount of coverage on all sides of the child’s head and neck, a reasonable person would not believe the bruises came from a single fall on playground equipment.
Daycare workers immediately suspected the injuries were due to child abuse and called DHS after Richerson dropped the child off, the affidavit said.
According to the affidavit, when police spoke with Richerson, she initially claimed she didn’t have a boyfriend and denied being in any romantic relationship. She denied living with anyone other than the child and denied that anyone watched the child other than herself and the daycare.
Richerson also initially told police she was the person who took the child to the park and that she saw him fall off the playground equipment, causing his bruises, the affidavit said. She later admitted it was Gage who took the child to the playground, and that he told her the child fell.
According to the affidavit, Richerson was texting someone while she was speaking with police. Tulsa Police obtained a warrant for her cellphone and discovered she had been texting Gage to coordinate lies she was telling, such as that he lived in Bixby and not with her and the child.
Richerson admitted she was lying about Gage’s involvement with the child, the affidavit said. She said she did so because Gage asked her not to involve him in the investigation.
According to court documents, police determined that Gage and Richerson intentionally caused harm to the 3-year-old child on at least two occasions.
Gage and Richerson were arrested on Tuesday and booked into the Tulsa County Jail.