Couple charged with cruelty

Published 8:36 pm Monday, January 6, 2014

The father and stepmother of a 4-year-old boy were charged with cruelty and injuries to children on Friday after a Dec. 11 incident that result in “significant permanent damage” to the child, according to a Suffolk spokesperson.

Bernard Esannason

Bernard Esannason

Valerie Esannason

Valerie Esannason

Bernard Olonzo Esannason, 30, and Vallerie Maria Esannason, 33, were charged at Western Tidewater Regional Jail, where they already were being held on aggravated malicious wounding charges, according to Suffolk spokeswoman Diana Klink.

Referring to HIPAA health privacy regulations on Monday, Klink refused to elaborate on the charges, the alleged abuse, the reason for the delay between the first and second set of charges, the extent or type of the child’s injuries or the current health of the child.

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Both suspects are being held at WTRJ without bond.