Goodyear couple arrested on child abuse charges

PHOENIX (AP) - A Goodyear official and his wife have been arrested on suspicion of child abuse stemming from a potty-training "war" with their 4-year-old daughter.

Police say that Raul and Tricia Varela were arrested Tuesday and booked on one count of felony child abuse each.

Raul Varela is Goodyear's engineering director.

Police said Tricia Varela took her 4-year-old adopted daughter to the emergency room and reported that the girl had constipation.

But hospital staff discovered the girl had two broken legs and a fractured upper right arm after they became suspicious about bruises covering her body.

Police say the Varelas admitted they had caused the girl's injuries on Saturday during a "war" to get her to go to the bathroom.

Child Protective Services removed five children from the couple's home - two biological sons and three adopted daughters.

The Varelas have been released until a preliminary hearing May 19. They are not allowed to have unsupervised contact with anyone younger than 18, records show.