By Ryan Mancini
masslive.com
LONGMEADOW, Mass. 鈥� Two children were criminally charged on Wednesday after a Hampden County Grand Jury returned indictments in connection with a June incident at Bliss Park in Longmeadow where Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni鈥檚 office announced Thursday.
The two children were both charged with assault and battery on a child with injury (four counts), assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (four counts) and vandalism, Gulluni鈥檚 office said in a statement.
Authorities were called on Sunday at 9:40 a.m. after the children were hurt using the slide at the playground, resulting in 鈥渂urn-like injuries,鈥� the fire department said in a news release. Firefighters quickly found the hazardous substance on three slides and determined it to be an acid.
[PREVIOUSLY: Muriatic acid on Mass. playground slides burned children]
Muriatic acid stolen from a nearby pool building was poured on the slides at the playground, according to the Longmeadow Fire Department. The acid is typically used as a cleaning product. Investigators found that a pump room in the basement of a pool building nearby had been broken into. Two fences were climbed and a cover to the ventilation shaft was torn off to enter the pool room, which housed the muriatic acid.
A 1-year-old boy was one of the children burned by the slides. Ashley Thielen told that her son 鈥渘ormally doesn鈥檛 cry. I couldn鈥檛 get him to stop, and his bottom was all wet.鈥� Both of Thielen鈥檚 children suffered burns.
After Thielen鈥檚 she came to her crying, she noticed the sleeve of her shirt, which her child was sitting on, was sticky. When she tugged on the sleeve, it tore wide open because the 鈥渃hemical burned right through it.鈥� It was then her 2-year-old daughter started crying and saying 鈥淢ommy, it hurts鈥� while pointing to the back of her leg.
At the time, Thielen and emergency services were unsure of what the substance was, so a thorough physical evaluation of the kids and an electrocardiogram (EKG) was done, along with a quick pH test, which came back 鈥渧ery acidic鈥� according to Thielen.
After a few days of healing, Thielen said her daughter鈥檚 wound 鈥渓ooks like a big abrasion [and] it鈥檚 healing like it鈥檚 supposed to.鈥�
Longmeadow police and fire officials, along with Massachusetts State Police detectives assigned to Gulluni鈥檚 office, investigated 鈥渢his shocking and terrible incident,鈥� Gulluni said in a statement.
鈥淥ur collective effort to charge those we believe are responsible should make clear that protecting this community鈥檚 children is among our highest priorities,鈥� Gulluni said. 鈥淲hether the threat and harm caused were intended as pranks or malicious acts, it will not be tolerated.鈥�
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