Amador County, CA—Two individuals have been arrested for child abuse that included torture, according to the Amador County District Attorney’s office.
Morgan Avants and Virginia Knapp were arrested on a warrant and charged with torture and causing willful harm or injury to a child. Avants is alleged to have personally inflicted the great bodily injury. The D.A.’s office reports that the abuse took place between January 29th and February 4th of this year. The victim was a 6-year-old child who, they noted, “suffered great bodily injury while in the care of Avants and Knapp.” The child has since received intensive, ongoing medical treatment and is safe.
The D.A.’s official thanked the Amador County Sheriff’s Office for leading a thorough and conscientious investigation, while also praising the talented medical and support staff at Shriners Children’s Northern California Hospital and UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, as well as the hardworking Amador County Child Protective Services personnel. Cases involving children are deeply impactful for first responders and law enforcement, and this victim will continue to be cared for by compassionate professionals.
The defendants were arraigned yesterday, Friday, March 20th. No further information regarding the case is being released.
