GEORGETOWN, Del.- Two children of a Milton-area woman arrested last week on multiple charges of child abuse told Delaware State Police troopers their mother had subjected either of them in the prior months to abuse involving a baseball bat, a high heel shoe, and even boiling water, according to court documents.
The allegations against Christina R. Morris, 35, were outlined in a probable cause affidavit with 14 offenses. Morris on Thursday briefly made an appearance in the Sussex County Court of Common Pleas, where she learned a preliminary hearing in her case would be delayed until next week so the arresting officer could be present.
Delaware State Police on Wednesday sent out a news release announcing Morris had been charged with 14 offenses, including multiple counts of child abuse and related charges. She is being held in at the Delores J. Baylor Women’s Correctional Institution on $128,500 cash only bond.
Court documents say troopers first became aware of the situation when Morris' 12-year-old daughter showed up with her father at Beebe Medical Center, where police say she was observed to have significant facial injuries and eyes that were so swollen they were almost shut.
A detective wrote the daughter had suffered a laceration to her skull caused by "Christina hitting her with the heel of a dress shoe."
"Christina had also poured super glue into the wound in an attempt to repair it," court documents said.
The documents go on to say that troopers went to Morris' home, took her into custody, and collected her 14-year-old son and 4-year-old daughter.
State police said evidence does not indicate the 4-year-old girl was abused by Morris.
According to the affidavit, Morris' eldest children detailed to police in interviews how they had been abused by their mother for months.
Morris' son told police the abuse began after their father moved out of the house in July and that the three children had been not left the home since July.
Court documents said Morris' 12-year-old daughter told police her mother struck her in the head on Nov. 11 with the heel of a dress shoe as punishment for supposedly telling lies.
Police were also told Morris on Nov. 13 struck her 12-year-old daughter with a baseball bat, threatened to kill or have the girl killed, and handcuffed the child to a bed between 3 a.m. and 1 p.m., according to the affidavit.
Morris' son told police about instances in which he had been struck by his mother with a rolling pin and a baseball bat in the days prior to his mother's arrest, court documents said.
Police were also told by the son that Morris had poured boiling water on him in August as a punishment that left scaring on his right arm, according to the affidavit.
Additionally, court documents say the son also told police Morris once pushed her 12-year-old daughter's head underwater in a bathtub and that his mother had been beaten him and his 12-year-old sister with belts between July through November.
A Facebook page appearing to show Morris' picture called "Christina Morris Ministries" has not been active since 2016. Among the images hosted on the page is a banner that reads "Pastoral Counselor that Specializes in Abuse-Related Trauma."
Morris is charged with the following offenses:
- Child Abuse 1 st (4 counts)
- Possession of a Deadly Weapon During the Commission of a Felony (2 counts)
- Unlawful Imprisonment First Degree
- Endangering the Welfare of a Child (3 counts)
- Unlawful Imprisonment Second Degree (2 counts)
- Terroristic Threatening
- Child Abuse 3rd