Indiana police officer Cody Scott and his wife are facing charges of child neglect following allegations that they punished their six-year-old daughter by making her stand outside in frigid temperatures while holding a sign.
A concerned resident in Logansport called 911 on January 19 to report spotting a young girl outside in 18-degree weather holding a sign that read, “I want to stab and kill my brother, I even take an antipsychotic. If you need to give pity, then give it to the victims.”
The caller, Cody’s neighbor Rebecca Gibbs, said it was “sickening” that someone could “do that to a child.”
“And to know that’s a police officer that’s doing that to the child is even worse,” she added. “I wouldn’t let my dog sit outside for an hour, let alone my child.”
Cop Cody Scott was the responding officer in scene
According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by Fox 59, Logansport Police Department officer Cody Scott, along with his superior, responded to the reported incident.
It was determined that the child standing outside was his six-year-old daughter.
Body camera footage later captured an interaction between one of the witnesses who brought the situation to the officers’ attention, saying, “This baby is standing out here in the freezing cold with a sign.”
Reportedly, in response, Cody Scott replied, “Well, sir, aside from me cruelly beating her physically, I’ve not done any other punishment that’s worked for her.”
He went on to explain, according to court transcriptions, “She’s threatened to kill my family, she wants to embarrass us, she wants to urinate on herself and destroy things in the house.”
Cody allegedly elaborated further, stating, “I have a DCS caseworker involved, she’s been in therapy for three years, she also has the wraparound program at school.”
He added, “She goes in every 30 minutes to warm back up, she’s bundled up very warm, and then she’ll come back out,” according to the documentation.
ISP finds that child’s punishment didn’t fit her “crime”
An officer from the Indiana State Police (ISP) later reviewed the footage and, after additional witness accounts, contacted the Department of Child Services to open an inquiry into the matter.
The ISP investigator described the punishment as “disproportionate to the offense and unnecessarily degrading,” as stated in the affidavit.
The accused parents, Cody Scott and Kylie Scott, were later questioned by ISP officials.
According to reports, they claimed the punishment was a reaction to an earlier incident involving their daughter being upset over lip gloss.
The girl’s mother, Kylie, reportedly stated that her daughter often engaged in attention-seeking behavior, such as intentionally urinating on herself.
The parents further disclosed that making her hold a sign was a method they frequently resorted to as punishment.
Additionally, they alleged that their daughter, who had been diagnosed with multiple mental health issues, had made threats to harm her younger brother by shooting or cutting him.
Local station WTHR documented that during his conversation Gibbs, Cody Scott disclosed that he had taken his daughter to the hospital on two occasions but said she had been “kicked out.”
He reportedly admitted, “I threatened to not pick her up. They said they would call DCS on me for abandonment.”
Court records also reveal that the child was interviewed by a caseworker at a child advocacy center.
She reportedly explained that she had been punished in the past by being confined to her room for extended periods, including times when she needed to use the bathroom.
She added that her younger brother did not receive equivalent disciplinary measures.
Cody Scott and wife made daughter hold signs as punishment previously
The affidavit also detailed how the young girl had been subjected to holding humiliating signs on multiple occasions.
One such incident involved her being made to carry a sign to school that read, “I pee on everything and cover it up like a cat,” while another incident reportedly involved her carrying a sign that said, “I lie to hurt other people” to a local Walmart.
As of January, Cody Scott was placed on administrative leave without pay, as noted by the Pharos-Tribune.
Both Cody and Kylie Scott are now facing two Level 6 felony neglect charges.
The couple appeared before the court on March 13, where they pleaded not guilty. Their next court appearance for a pretrial conference is scheduled for May 8, with a trial date set for September 22.
