Dad with unspecified custody rights, girlfriend plead not guilty to abusing 12-year-old daughter (Las Cruces, New Mexico)

As usual, no explanation as to how dad JAMES ANTHONY COLLINS got access to this child, what his rights are (full custody? joint?), how he got them, who gave them to him, whether he had a previous history of violence with this child's mother, or even what happened to this girl's mother.

A custodial mother is nearly always held responsible for "failure" to protect against a violent boyfriend, even if the boyfriend is also beating her or making death threats if she goes to the authorities. However, custodial fathers almost always play the Clueless Daddy card and get off.

http://www.lcsun-news.com/story/news/crime/2016/04/04/couple-charged-lightsaber-child-abuse-case-plead-not-guilty/82632052/

Couple charged in lightsaber child abuse case plead not guilty

Sun-News Reports, . 6:41 p.m. MDT April 4, 2016

LAS CRUCES - A father and his girlfriend pleaded not guilty to child abuse charges on Monday in 3rd Judicial District Court. The girlfriend allegedly hit the man's 12-year-old daughter with a toy lightsaber.

James Anthony Collins, 50, and his girlfriend, Julia Torres, 25, were indicted March 17 and charged with two counts of child abuse not resulting in death or great bodily harm, a third-degree felony, online court records show.

Collins and Torres appeared before District Judge Mary W. Rosner for arraignment on Monday. They both pleaded not guilty to the two charges.

Torres allegedly struck Collins’ daughter with the handle of a toy lightsaber, according to the 3rd Judicial District Attorney's Office.

The girl said she told Collins about the incident and other allegations of abuse, but reported to authorities he did nothing to stop it. Torres has denied hitting the victim with the toy, the Sun-News previously reported. But she admitted to having anger issues and using a baseball bat to twice break her boyfriend’s arm.

The abuse, which was reported to the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office, is alleged to have occurred between May 2014 and December 2015 in Vado.

Torres was arrested in connection to the charges. She has since been released from the Doña Ana County Detention Center on her own recognizance, online court record show.

On Monday, she was given a $3,000 unsecured bond. Collins, meanwhile, has until Friday to post a $3,000 secured bond. He was not arrested. His attorney argued for an unsecured bond, but the judge did not grant the request.

If convicted as charged, Collins and Torres could face up to three years in prison for each count.