Sister of woman accused of pushing son down stairs testifies the boy was "extremely clumsy"

Sister of woman accused of pushing son down stairs testifies the boy was "extremely clumsy"

POSTED: 04/17/2012 05:38:10 PM MDT

UPDATED: 04/17/2012 05:38:19 PM MDTBy Jessica Fender

The Denver Post

GOLDEN — The older sister of Christine Arnold, a woman accused of pushing her adoptive son down a flight of stairs and other abuse, testified today that the child was "extremely clumsy" and would fall to the floor in dramatic tantrums when angry.

Patricia Spriggs told jurors she witnessed the boy inadvertantly injure himself by running into pillars, tear apart toys and books and punch himself in the legs on numerous occassions.

Prosecutors pointed out that Arnold and her husband never reported those incidents to the boy's therapist or pediatrician and that Spriggs — who called the behavior "very alarming" — never reported it to investigators in the course of the case.

"Why would I?" asked Spriggs, on the verge of tears. "Nobody believes us. Nobody believes us."

Several officials at the boy's former elementary school have testified he was shy but well behaved and that they saw none of the self injurious behavior his aunt reported.

The jury is expected to begin deliberations tomorrow in the case of Christine and Randall Arnold, who are charged with felony child abuse resulting in serious bodily injury.

Christine Arnold called 9-1-1 the evening of Sept. 17, 2010 to report her then 6-year-old son was lethargic following a tumble down a flight of stairs.

Authorities discovered bruises and cuts striping the child's back, a subdermal hemotoma and signs he was underweight. The boy later told investigators Christine Arnold pushed him down the stairs and didn't call the ambulance until at least a day later.

Randall Arnold is accused of knowing about the alleged abuse and not stopping it.

Also testifying for the defense today was Minnesota forensic pathologist Janice Ophoven, who said the injury to the head wasn't enough to cause permanent brain injury and could have been sustained by an accidental fall down the stairs.

"It only takes a couple of feet, if you have bad luck, to cause an injury," Ophoven said. "It was blood on the surface of the brain. The brain was perfectly fine."

Ophoven countered previous medical opinions that the boy was malnourished, saying nothing in the records confirms that diagnosis and doctors should have performed additional tests.

Hospital staff observed the boy hoarding food under his pillow, which Opoven attributed to an emotional disorder that prevented the boy from bonding with caretakers.

The boy quickly gained weight after leaving the hospital in 2010, and the bruises and emotional troubles have disappeared since he left the Arnolds' home, said prosecutor Jennifer Rhoads.

"He's bonding just fine now," she said.

Jessica Fender: 303-954-1244 or jfender@denverpost.com