Charges updated for Charles City woman accused of multiple acts of violent child abuse

CHARLES CITY — Prosecutors have updated the charges against a Charles City woman accused of violently abusing a child.

A criminal complaint states that 37-year-old Samantha Slaughter physically assaulted a child on February 13th in a home in the 300 block of 8th Avenue. Slaughter is accused of forcefully grabbing their face, force feeding them food, shaking and jerking their face and head, hitting them in their face with their own hands, forcing them to the floor by grabbing their neck, and slamming them to the floor.

The complaint says the minor sustained serious injuries to include facial bruising and swelling, retinal hemorrhages, as well as bleeding in the head and brain. Medical staff told law enforcement that the child’s long-term prognosis will likely include varying deficits, some of which appear to be permanent.

Slaughter was originally charged with child endangerment causing serious injury and willful injury causing serious injury, each a Class C felony punishable by up to ten years in prison, charges that she pleaded not guilty to in mid-April.

Floyd County Attorney Todd Prichard on Tuesday filed a motion to update the charges, stating that in light of further investigation, the charge of child endangerment causing serious injury should be upgraded to child endangerment by multiple acts, a Class B felony punishable by up to 25 years in prison.

Slaughter is scheduled to be arraigned on the new charges on May 12th in Floyd County District Court.