In cases of sexual and physical abuse of children, most of the time abusers prey on children they know, said Wendy Holt, director of the Clark County Child Advocacy Center.
“It’s not the stranger lurking, you know, behind the bushes,” Holt said.
“We tend to teach our children about stranger danger, but in 93 percent of the situations that child knew their perpetrator in some form or fashion,” she added in reference to the more than 300 cases of abuse the center handled in 2015.
The U.S. Marshals Southern Ohio Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team arrested Tamara Remy in Springfield and Christopher Remy in Portsmouth, Ohio, where he has been living, said Assistant Clark County Prosecutor Amy Smith, who is handling the case.
“Due to the nature of the charges and the severity of the sentence that could possibly be imposed, we chose to go forward with a secret indictment so the parties would be unaware of when they might potentially be arrested,” Smith said.
Police are still investigating, the assistant prosecutor added, and if anyone has information on the couple that could relate to the case, they should report it to detectives.
Both defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges in a Clark County Common Pleas Court arraignment Thursday.
Tamara Remy is booked in the Clark County Jail on a $150,000 bond and Christopher Remy on a $250,000 bond.
Several of the counts include rape, gross sexual imposition, domestic violence, intimidation of a victim, and endangering children, according to court records.
The alleged abuse occurred between March 2013 and May 2015, according to court records.
Parents should talk to their children about what is appropriate for adults to do to children, Holt said, in order to prevent abuse.
“We want them to know it’s not good to keep secrets,” Holt said.
Parents should also teach children about their bodies, using correct terminology for body parts, Holt said.
There are also signs of child abuse that adults can look for in children.
“If you see any kind of behavioral, emotional or physical ‘red flag’ is what we call them,” Holt said.
People can report suspected child abuse to police or their local family and children’s services agency.
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