A Danbury couple charged more than a year ago with child abuse — a case in which police say witnesses saw the kids repeatedly beaten with a belt — may be heading to trial together.
Marco Tuapante, 37, and his girlfriend, Tara Henke, 37, were arrested in June 2013 after school officials reported the two siblings sustained what police described as “suspicious injuries.”
Marco Tuapante was arrested in June 2013 on multiple child abuse charges. Danbury Police Department.
Assistant State’s Attorney Sharmese Hodge filed the motion last week to have the couple prosecuted jointly.
Vicki Hutchinson, Henke’s lawyer, said the case has been continued until next month as Superior Court Judge Cara Eschuck also considers Hodge’s motion to have the children testify from outside the courtroom via video conference.
The children have been placed in foster care and transferred out of the state, a court clerk said Monday.
An investigation began in May 2013 when school officials found multiple injuries on both of Henke’s children, a boy, 9, and a girl, 8, according to the arrest affidavit.
The girl had blood in the white parts of both of her eyes and bruising to her face, stomach, back and left side, according to court documents. The boy had a cut on the right side of his head, significant bruising to his buttocks, legs, face and abrasions on his shoulder, court documents said.
After a medical evaluation, Dr. Marita Michelin at Danbury Hospital told police the children’s injuries were consistent with abuse.
Tuapante was charged with two counts of first-degree assault, two counts of kidnaping, two counts of negligent child cruelty, two counts of injury to a child and first-degree reckless endangerment. He remains held on $100,000 bond and on an immigration detainer.
Henke was released on a $20,000 bond after she was charged with two counts of accessory to assault, two counts of risk of injury to a child and negligent cruelty to a child.
Both children, who lived with the couple, denied Tuapante hit them, according to court documents.
Henke has also denied seeing Tuapante hit her children, according to court documents. She told police she had seen bruises on the children, but it was nothing unusual or signs of abuse, according to the arrest affidavit.
Henke told police her daughter had red in her eyes because she got soap in them and the cut on her son’s head was from hitting it against a counter, according to the arrest affidavit.
Tuapante told police he watched the children when Henke worked at Candlewood Valley Health Center between 3 and 11 p.m. According to court documents, he didn’t know how the children suffered the injuries, but said it was probably from playing with each other and their dogs.
Tara Henke, the mother for the young boy and girl who had multiple injuries when examined at Danbury Hospital. Danbury Police Department.
However, a former babysitter and the couple’s former housemate told police they witnessed Tuapante beat both children with a belt on numerous occasions, according to the affidavit. They also said Henke was present during the abuse, the affidavit said.
The Department of Children and Families previously investigated the couple, but there wasn’t sufficient evidence, according to the affidavit.
Tuapante’s attorney, Mark Johnson, said the case is “heating up” as the trial nears, but he declined to comment further.
Henke and Tuapante are next scheduled to appear Jan. 15 in Danbury Superior Court.