RICHLAND CO.— Disturbing accusations involving an Olney man have surfaced in an Emergency Order of Protection granted in Richland County.
According to court documents, the OP involves Jessica Erin Atwood, 24, of 5771 Seed Creek, Sumner, and her ex-husband, 26-year-old Jeffrey Blake Atwood, 26, of 1122 East Elm St., Olney.
The couple was divorced in July of 2009 but not before having a daughter, who is now seven years old.
In her petition, dated January 26, Jessica Atwood said that on Jan. 25, she was at Jeffrey’s house in Olney dropping off her daughter for visitation.
“He started telling me that he was beating his step-daughter because she pees the bed,” Jessica wrote in her petition.
She then said that Jeffrey claimed that he throws the little girl into a freezing cold shower until she is almost in shock and them warms her up just so he can do it again.
Jessica didn’t say how many revolutions of torture Jeffrey allegedly perpetrates on the little girl before he finally stops.
“Begged his wife to let him shoot…”
And as if that weren’t disturbing enough, Jessica went on to claim that “he said he begged his wife to let him shoot his step-daughter in the face and bury her in the yard.”
Jessica said that Jeffrey makes the step-daughter and their daughter fight each other.
“Our daughter came home a few weeks ago with a black eye because he was letting the girls fight each other and our daughter was hit in the face with a rake.”
Jessica also claimed that Jeffrey has hit their daughter “numerous times.”
“When we were married he abused me and now he’s doing it to children,” Jessica said.
The history of the couple certainly shows a pattern of discordance at the very least, with an OP taken out on behalf of Jessica, against Jeffrey, on December 31, 2008 and another granted on her behalf against Jeffrey on July 15, 2009, the same month and year their divorce was granted.
Jessica’s motion for an Emergency Order of Protection was granted Jan. 26.
Richland doesn’t play with child abusers
Whether or not an investigation is underway into the allegations is unknown, mainly because the case involves a juvenile and while former spouses often argue over child visitation, the accusations are certainly disturbing.
Unlike most other counties, specifically Lawrence and Edwards, Richland authorities do not wait until a child is maimed, crippled, disabled or dead to take action.
Richland State’s attorney Brad Vaughn has joined ranks with the likes of Eva Walker, assistant to Saline County prosecutor Mike Henshaw, when it comes to listening to children who are victims of abuse and prosecuting those who would perpetrate such an atrocity along with anyone who would stand by and allow it.
Sent to prison for threatening to cut child’s heart out
On August 31, 2012 Jeffrey Atwood was sentenced to the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) after being arrested and charged with Aggravated Unlawful Restraint and Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon.
Atwood pleaded guilty to the restraint charge in return for the deadly weapon charge being dismissed, received a sentence of 42 months IDOC and was ordered to pay $618 in fines and fees.
In that case, on April 28, 2012, Atwood, using a knife, grabbed and held with one hand the wrist of Michelle Boyd-Pittman, 17, and with the knife in his other hand threatened bodily harm to her and her three-month-old daughter.
“He hunted me down and dragged me out of the house with a knife [in his hand] and said that if I didn’t go with him he was gonna cut my 3-month-old daughter’s heart out,” Pittman told police.
Erma Cohea, at whose home the attack played out, said she was awakened at 4:33 a.m. that morning to find police in her yard because Atwood was going to break in “…and cut his daughter’s heart out,” Cohea told authorities.
Atwood has been the subject of numerous additional OPs including one on January 2, 2015 on behalf of Michelle M. Boyd-Pittman; one May 3, 2012 on behalf Erma M. Cohea; one on December 1, 2014, granted on his behalf against Michelle Boyd-Pittman; another the same day on behalf of Michelle M. Boyd-Pittman and another on January 15, 2015 on behalf of Regina K. Rudde.
Criminal history
As far as criminal activity, Jeffrey Atwood was convicted August 17, 2007 of Property Damage and sentenced to conditional discharge for one year and ordered to pay $452 in fines, fees and restitution, of which he still owes $412.
On November 16, 2007 he was convicted of one of seven counts of Writing Bad Checks and sentenced to conditional discharge for one year and ordered to pay $613.45 in fines and fees, of which he hasn’t paid anything.
On February 5, 2009 he had a charge of Violation of an Order of Protection dismissed.
On December 2, 2010 he had a charge of Theft dismissed, but Jeffrey Atwood was convicted of Residential Burglary for which he was sentenced to the Illinois Department of Corrections for five years and ordered to pay $510 in fines and fees, of which he has paid nothing.
As of press time, Atwood was sitting in the Richland County Jail on a charge of Theft, which alleges that on Jan. 25, he knowingly obtained control over property that he reasonably should have know to be stolen.
Cash bond in that case was set at $3,000 by judge Larry Dunn.