A trial date has been set for one of the Prague parents of twins he is accused of abusing who were born in November of 2019. Charges have been dismissed against the other parent charged court records show.
Two counts of enabling child abuse filed in Lincoln County District Court in January of 2020 against Mina Starr Arnold, then 19, were dismissed on March 31 of this year, court records show.
Joseph Carl Corum, who was 20 at the time he was arrested in early January of 2020, still faces two charges of child abuse.
District Judge Cindy Ashwood last week granted a motion for continuance. She continued Corum’s case to the next docket, at 9:30 a.m. Sep. 28, this year, and scheduled a jury trial for 9 a.m. Oct. 18.
A hearing has been set for 2 p.m. July 7 on discovery issues and Corum at the time, the judge ordered.
The formal charges against the two were filed Jan. 8, 2020. An additional charge of Assault and Battery was filed against Corum on Feb. 3.
An affidavit filed in the case states Corum and Arnold are identified as the biological parents of the twins.
The babies were born Nov. 16, 2019, at St. Anthony’s Hospital in Shawnee, the affidavit states.
An investigator was called by a Department of Human Services supervisor to give him information about two babies who reportedly had been abused by their parents, the affidavit states.
It further states the babies initially were taken to St. Anthony’s Hospital in Shawnee. Corum and Arnold had left the hospital prior to DHS taking custody of the children, who were five weeks old at the time.
The investigator was informed soon after the children were transported to Children’s Hospital in Oklahoma City. He went to Children’s Hospital, the information states, and met with a DHS supervisor and a nurse practitioner.
The affidavit says the investigator observed several areas on one child identified as J.C. and that J.C. had what appeared to be bruising on his arms and legs.
The other small baby, identified as L.C., was being held by a DHS worker in her arms. The investigator was told by both DHS and the nurse practitioner that L.C. may have possible brain bleeding. CT’s and an MRI were going to be performed, he related in the affidavit.
He was told by the nurse practitioner that the broken bones on J.C. were consistent with child abuse, the affidavit further stated.
The nurse practitioner took photographs of both babies and provided the investigator a copy of those.
The affidavit states the investigator went to the Prague residence of Corum and Arnold and talked with the family of Corum. He said while at the residence he talked with Corum’s brother and was told by the brother he had observed Corum violently shake or sling one of the newborn twins while at the Prague residence.
In the affidavit it says the brother also stated, “Joseph said he could do that because he was the child’s father.”
Other family members reportedly expressed their concern for the children noting they, too, had observed what appeared to be injuries to the children.
The affidavit states that Arnold was strongly resistant to the children being taken to the hospital.
It was further stated to investigators that Corum on Jan. 2 had later sent a text message to DHS threatening to kill DHS members.
In the affidavit, it states, “The injuries to the children are considered grave and heightened given their age, approximately five weeks old.”