Nine children—the oldest being S., a 15-year-old girl; the youngest being toddlers—were systematically physically abused by their parents, Scott and Cherry Blattert. The children were homeschooled.
Scott Blattert worked at the NSA Crane Naval Base and the Blatterts were religious. Scott experimented with beating his children with various implements including wooden spoons and dowel rods to determine that industrial grade glue sticks caused the most pain with the fewest markings. The glue sticks were kept on the mantle so that Cherry Blattert could use them to beat the children for “minor accidents or behavior issues” while Scott Blattert was at work. She kept a list of the children’s supposed infractions so that Scott could beat the children with glue sticks or a belt when he got home from work. Scott also punched the children, slammed them into walls, and choked them. The Blatterts meticulously documented the children’s injuries with photos and a journal. “One child kept a diary of the abuse and hid it inside her mattress.” There was only one phone in the home and it was kept in the Blatterts’ bedroom, where the children were not permitted to go.
Child protective services visited the home several times; the Blatterts hid the glue sticks in the bedroom when this occurred and coached the children not to speak to social workers. “The family recently moved from one home to another because a DCS worker lived nearby,” and after the children were too honest with social workers, Scott beat them. Though news sources did not report this, it is likely that the Blatterts were following the same child discipline manual as the parents of Sean Paddock, Hana Williams, and Lydia Schatz.
The abuse came to light when police were shown a video of Scott Blattert beating S. It is unknown who recorded the video or how it reached the authorities. Scott Blattert was charged with strangulation and aggravated battery. Cherry Blattert was charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in bodily injury.
Date: October 31, 2019
Location: Springville, Indiana
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Documents: | Date: |
Court doc: Couple hit children with glue sticks and belts, photographed their injuries | 11-06-2019 |
Springville Couple Arrested on Two Violent Felony Charges | 11-07-2019 |
ISP: Husband, wife charged in child abuse investigation | 11-07-2019 |