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3 Utah babysitters arrested on 19 counts of child abuse for beating, burning and stabbing 2 boys

In Utah, there is a maximum 15-year jail sentence and a maximum $19K fine for child abuse

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH: On Wednesday, July 13, three babysitters were arrested for burning, beating, and stabbing two boys in Salt Lake City, Utah. The attackers Laurie Hacket, 32, Randee Coon, 31, and Keri Pavlica, 52, had been charged on 19 counts of child abuse by the Salt Lake City Police Department.

The victims were boys of age 6 and 17. According to authorities, both of them were brought to a hospital on Tuesday, July 12, after being seriously injured. In a statement, the police said, "During the investigation, officers and detectives learned the two children had been in the care of Hackett, Coon, and Pavlica for approximately the last four weeks. During that time Hackett, Coon, and Pavlica all participated, or were aware of, the assaults and abuse to the victims."

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According to the local news station KSL, the mother of the victims took her kids to the Primary Children's Hospital after they got serious injuries. She met with the police authorities there and informed them about the incident and her sons' condition.

The boys are still being examined by doctors, according to Salt Lake City PD. Even though they did not comment on the gravity of the situation or the type of injuries the boys suffered, they did mention that the victims would need much more professional medical care. The identities of the victims are still unknown.

Investigations are going on to figure out the reason behind this heinous act performed by the three, but there is no information yet. The police did mention that Hackett, Coon, and Pavlica were associated with the family. After committing the crime, the suspects were found in a van, according to a police booking document, and they were planning to run away.

KSL brought up a police booking document that mentioned that the boys were allegedly beaten, burned, and stabbed. It read: "The 17-year-old victim had scalp swelling, multiple bruises on his face, black eyes, bruising on his back, two puncture wounds on his back, fractured vertebrae, and injured ribs. The 6-year-old victim had scalp swelling, a burn on his face, a laceration to his kidney and liver, swelling around his pancreas, a healing fracture of the lower sternum, fractured vertebrae, injured ribs, swelling around the ribs."

According to Fox 13 Now, the 17-year-old was pinned down and punched in the crotch. Then, he was stabbed with a knife and beaten with a pipe by the three suspects.

Furthermore, the booking document revealed that over the four weeks of the suspects' babysitting at the boys' house, Coon had hit the victims and choked one of them. He acknowledged being aware that "the tip of a torch lighter was used to burn one of the victims" and that the victims were punished with scissors if they couldn't maintain a push-up stance. The 32-year-old Hackett allegedly poked the victim's face with a light torch but defended the act as an "accident." One of the suspects also observed another tying one of the youngsters' wrists with a rope.

Police Chief Mike Brown said in a tweet: "The allegations of abuse and injury, in this case, are both disturbing and tragic. I am very proud of our patrol officers, detectives, and our Special Victims Unit who worked so quickly to identify, locate and arrest these suspects."

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In Utah, there is a maximum 15-year jail sentence and a maximum $19,000 fine for child abuse.