Affidavit: Parents accused of starving, beating child with belt

by: Matt Clough and Deborah Sherman

JEFFERSON COUNTY - Officials say two parents will appear in court on Thursday for allegedly beating their adoptive son and starving him to the point that the 6-year-old only weighed 30 pounds.

An affidavit released by the Jefferson County District Attorney's Office says on Sept. 17, Littleton firefighters responded to the family's home at 6500 block of South Reed Way on a report of a young child who fell down the stairs and was unresponsive.

Investigators say Christine Arnold reported she was cooking dinner when the boy fell.

An EMT examining the boy observed bruises and abrasions all over his body, according to the affidavit.

The affidavit says the medical staff at Littleton Hospital Emergency Room determined the boy had blood on his brain and his brain was swelling.

A doctor at the hospital says the boy suffered from "serious bodily injury" and "severe malnutrition." The boy also suffered from various straight line, u-shaped and horseshoe type markings across his body consistent with the buckle of a belt found at the house, according to the affidavit.

The affidavit reports the Arnolds took custody of the boy on a foster-to-adopt program when he was two and a half years old. That adoption was completed in 2006, according to the affidavit.

According to Jefferson County Social Services, the boy was examined prior to his adoption and was measured and weighed. In 2006, the boy was in the fifty to seventy five percentiles for his height and weight. At age 3, he weighed 31 pounds. On September 17, 2010, the boy weighed 30 pounds at the age of 6, according to the affidavit.

A check on Wednesday afternoon showed that the Arnolds were not being held at the Jefferson County Jail.

The district attorney's office says Christine and Randall Arnold will appear in courtroom 1B on Thursday. Charges will be filed at that time.

[accompanying video says the boy was adopted from foster care, that the school reported possible abuse 2 years ago]