COURT HOUSE – Three Goshen Road residents have been arrested and charged with beating five girls between the ages of 9 and 16 using back scratchers, paddles, belts and fly swatters.
According to the affidavit of probable cause in the case, someone from Acenda’s Youth Partial Care Program, a community-based social service, reported to the Division of Child Protection and Permanency concerns for two of the girls, ages 9 and 16, after the oldest girl said she had suffered physical abuse at the hands of her grandmother, Irene J. Becica, 71.
The two girls were removed from the home on Oct. 25. The three others were removed from the home previously.
The affidavit says DCPP noted bruises on the 9-year-old, and that Becica and Christina L. VonColln, 45, allegedly burned the 9-year-old’s right wrist with a lighter. It goes on to charge that Becica, VonColln, and Thomas J. Becica, 57, would beat all five girls at various times with the implements mentioned, leaving cuts and bruises on their bodies.
The three adults are also accused of giving the children “increased doses of medication,” with the girls saying this left them in a “zombie and ghost-like” condition. The 16-year-old told investigators from the Prosecutor’s Office that she ran away from the residence due to the abuse by the adults.
The Middle Township Police Department confirmed that Christina VonColln reported a missing child on Oct. 2. The department posted on its Facebook page on Oct. 20 that the missing child had been located. The 16-year-old and the 9-year-old were removed from the home five days later, per the affidavit.
On Dec. 8, Superior Court Judge Christine Smith authorized a search warrant for the Goshen Road home where the three adults were arrested. Police found multiple back scratchers, belts, fly swatters and a paddle.
County Prosecutor Jeffrey Sutherland and Middle Township Police Chief Jennifer Pooler made the announcement of the arrests in a press release issued Dec. 18. The three were arrested Dec. 8 by the Middle Township Police after the execution of the search warrant. The Cape May County Regional SWAT Unit assisted in executing the warrant.
According to the 22-page complaint against the three individuals, the victims, all girls, ages 16, 14, 13, 12 and 9, suffered multiple acts of physical and emotional abuse and neglect between Jan. 1 and Oct. 25, or to the date when the child was removed from the home.
The complaint says the accused committed aggravated assault on the five children using back scratchers, paddles, belts and fly swatters. The acts were described as attempting to cause significant bodily injury “manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life.”
The Becicas and VonColln were each charged with five counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, five counts of second-degree conspiracy, five counts of third-degree aggravated assault, one count of fourth-degree unlawful possession of a weapon and one count of third-degree possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose.
All three had detention hearings through Cape May County Superior Court. Thomas Becica was released pending court proceedings; Irene Becica and VonColln were detained at the Cape May County Correctional Center pending court proceedings.
Sutherland said the investigation is ongoing and urged anyone with additional information to contact the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit at 609-465-1135, or anonymously through the Prosecutor’s Office website at cmcpo.tips, as well as through the Cape May County Sheriff’s Tip Line at cmcsherrif.net (click on anonymous tip), or through Cape May County Crime Stoppers at 609-889-3597.
Contact the author, Christopher South, at csouth@cmcherald.com or 609-886-8600, ext. 128.
