Woman sentenced for child neglect

A Cameron woman was sentenced to jail time for child neglect.

On Jan. 26, after a Pre-Sentence Investigation and Sentencing Hearing, 20th District Judge John W. Youngblood sentenced Toni Marie Martin, 32, of Cameron to 10 years confinement in TDCJ, the maximum sentence for the  Third Degree Felony, Continuous Violence Against the Family.

According to the Milam County District Attorney’s Office, this case started when one of the children was found in the next-door neighbor’s home, so hungry she was eating cat food. An investigation was immediately launched into the treatment of the children, all girls aged 9 or under. 

The investigation showed that the girls were routinely underfed as well as physically and psychologically abused. Some of the abuse included: duct taping the girls to their bed at night, locking the girls in a shed for extended periods of time, forcing the girls to physically fight each other for sport, encouraging a dog to bite the girls, and feeding the girls “slop” that was made in a blender. 

The Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) immediately removed the children from the home. The children are now placed in a safe, stable home. 

First Assistant District Attorney Brian Price prosecuted the State’s case.