Parents of special needs boy charged with child abuse

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Prosecutors have charged the Omaha parents of an 8-year-old special needs boy with child abuse, saying the boy was malnourished, bruised and that his teeth appeared to be nearly disintegrated.

The Omaha World-Herald reports that 37-year-old Stephen Bauer and his wife, 32-year-old Megan Finlan, were each charged Friday with two counts of child abuse causing serious bodily injury.

Bauer has been suspended from his job as program director for the Nebraska Family Support Network, which helps children and family affected by mental and behavioral health problems.

Attorneys for the couple say the boy suffers from several mental health issues and that they have done everything they can to care for the child, whom they adopted.