E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSS
Delaware State Police
Melvin Morse, 58, and Pauline Morse, 40, were charged with reckless endangerment, conspiracy and endangering the welfare of a child.
A couple in Delaware was arrested for abusing their eldest daughter, which included an alleged act of waterboarding.
Delaware State Police initially arrested Melvin Morse, 58, after they were informed of a domestic assault incident on July 12, when Morse allegedly grabbed his 11-year-old daughter by the ankle and began dragging her across a gravel driveway at their home in Georgetown, Del. He then took her inside and began spanking her, according to a police report.
Morse, a pediatrician, was charged on July 16 with two counts of endangering the welfare of a child and one count of assault. He was later released after posting $750 secured bail.
Stay informed with the latest headlines; sign up for our newsletter
On Monday, the daughter was brought to the Children's Advocacy Center of Delaware where she was interviewed. She told detectives that over a two-year period, she was disciplined by her father by what he called “waterboarding.” She said her father would hold her face under a running faucet, causing the water to go up her nose and all over her face, the police report said.
The child said this form of punishment was used at least four times. She said her mother, Pauline Morse, 40, witnessed a few of these incidents and failed to stop her father.
The couple also have a 5-year-old daughter.
Watch the most-viewed videos on NBCNews.com
Police arrested the couple on Tuesday and charged them with four counts of reckless endangering, conspiracy and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
Melvin was committed to Sussex Correctional Institution in lieu of $14,500 secured bond, and Pauline was released on a $14,500 secured bond. Both parents were ordered to have no contact with each other or either of their children.
Both children are currently in the care of the Division of Family Services.
More content from NBCNews.com:
- FBI: Sikh temple gunman killed himself after being wounded by police
- July is hottest month on record; drought expands across US
- Obama opposes Boy Scouts' policy banning gays
- Sailor sentenced for helping Navy chief commit suicide
- August is heaviest homecoming month for Marines in Afghanistan
- Body found on Mount Rainier could have been missing since January
- Video: Police believe body is missing La. college student
Leave a Comment:
Wait a minute, did I read this correctly? The man is a PEDIATRICIAN?! Talk about irony...
Actually he is a sociopath, who happens to also be a pediatrician. Wonder how parents whose children are clients of his feel? Like a kick in the solar plexus, I would guess. Is this an epidemic in Delaware? Last year the pediatrician who sexually abused INFANTS in his office and videotaped them!! It might have been Maryland, but I'm quite sure it was Delaware. My wife or myself ALWAYS stayed with our children in a doctor's office, if for no other reason to comfort them, if some of what the doctor needed to do was frightening to our child. If the doctor would have objected? Find another doctor. Common sense. Your children are the most important thing you will leave behind. Treat them as such. If it ruffles a doctors feathers, move on.
It was Delaware. Dr. Earl Bradley. One of the most horrific child molesters in history. The case is sickening. I thought the same thing when I read this story.
What the hell is wrong with these children's mother? Somebody oughta slap the taste out of her mouth for allowing her hsband to rage unchecked.
Waterboard him and see how he likes it! Now this IS child abuse. It goes above and beyond punishment.
This child abuser should have known better than anyone else what he was doing is wrong. Dragging an 11 year old child across a gravel driveway? Waterboarding? What else was going on, I wonder. I've heard of cases where one child is blamed for everything that goes wrong in a family and is harshly punished or in some cases killed. This abuser seemed to be escalating in his torture of this little girl. Thankfully she and the other child are out of his reach, at least for now. If he is convicted I hope his sentence is at least as harsh as his treatment of her.
I certainly hope these two little ones are not sent back with these parents! They belong with a loving couple who would love to have children and give them a happy, healthy home life.
These poor children don't have "parents." Yes, take the children away from these monsters, forever. A good condition of their punishment (give them 85 years instead of 90 in jail) would be to have them volunteer to be sterilized, just in case..... .....
The authorities should talk to his adult children. There were rumors about abuse 20+ years ago in the Seattle area. Makes you wonder if he was using his own kids as research for his 'near death' book.
We've all done that!
Test
this is just nuts....i could never do that to my kids and if i ever had the chance i would take those kids and give them the love and home they deserve...that is just insane poor babies....
I know many people that want to adopt and give real love to a kid. This craps just make kids for collect money from Social Security. See this:
They arrested Melvin Morse, (the father) after they were informed of a domestic assault incident on July 12, when he grabbed his 11-year-old daughter by the ankle and began dragging her across a gravel driveway at their home in Georgetown, Del. Then he took her inside and began spanking her, according to a police report. Morse, a pediatrician, was charged on July 16 with two counts of endangering the welfare of a child and one count of assault. He was later released after posting $750 secured bail. $750!!! the price maybe of 3 visit to the doctor and no supervision of the child & famiy. Are they waiting till they kill their kids like I said with a lot of people trying to adopt and give real love. Why the kids can not be with good parents instead of governemet? (with this crap of parents maybe they don't have good parents) Very sad.
This is Dr. Melvin Morse, who wrote all those books on children's near death experiences!
Wow if she can marry a doctor I can marry a rock star!
I am so sick and tired of reading these stories about people abusing children. Lock them up, throw away the key. They should no longer be able to have custody of children no matter what. One strike, you are out. These people are rabid animals and should be caged. I have no sympathy left for any of them.
Pauline must have some very unique talent to bag a physician, she is not much to look at...
Advanced interrogation or torture? You may now decide.
More proof needed. I'm not listening to the words of a brat! Too many lemmings on the board that'll take the hook on the 1st thing they read.
Another example of how we are not free in this country. Nowadays, the child is the property of the state, if you do something to the state's property that the state does not approve of or damage their property they will take their property away. This is what happened here and happens all over the country. If I want to spank the @!$%# out of my entitle brat then its my parental right to do so. I am not saying that sometimes removing custody is crucial, but it should only be done as a last result.