Man charged with physically assaulting preschool twins, placing one child in washer

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) – A man is facing child abuse charges involving the twin children of his girlfriend who he was taking care of.

Joshua Robert Morley, 20, of Louisville, is charged with three counts of criminal abuse of a child 12 or under.

Morley’s arrest report says Norton Children’s Hospital contacted Louisville Metro police about five-year-old twins who were being treated in the emergency room for blunt force trauma injuries to their genitals and forehead. One of the children also had blunt force injuries to their abdomen along with a serious injury to the liver. In addition, both were showing a condition common with extreme muscle injuries.

The report states that during separate interviews with police, each child said Morley punched them multiple times with a closed fist to their privates and forehead and was holding them by the hair while doing so.

One of the children told investigators “that he was put in the laundry” by Morley. The second child told police he witnessed Morley put the other child into the washer and close the lid. The witness said the machine was making noises. The child who was put into the washer said it was dark and he couldn’t breathe.

The alleged abuse happened at the UofL Scholar House Campus.

The Scholar House says Morley is not and has never been a part of their program in any capacity and that child abuse should not be tolerated anywhere and especially isn’t tolerated on their campus.

Norton’s Children’s Hospital called LMPD when they noticed the bruising.

So WAVE News reached out to a pediatrician about what signs to look for in potential cases of child abuse.

“One of the mnemonics that we used is called TEN4. Ten stands for torso, ears and neck with torso being like chest, stomach and back,” Norton Children’s Medical Group Pediatrician Heather Felton said. “And the four stands for abnormal bruising on the torso, ears or neck on children under the age of four.”

Felton said the signs may not always be physical but can be seen in behavior as well.

She believes it’s best to report any signs you may notice as they are as long as they’re in the child’s best interests.

“It’s probably better to report a concerning finding that is earnest than to go with it being unreported,” Felton said.

Felton also said neglect is one of the biggest forms of child abuse, and Kentucky has been among the states with the highest rates of child abuse and neglect in the U.S. in recent years.

To learn more about how to prevent child abuse you can visit Norton’s website by clicking or tapping here.

Morley was booked into Louisville Metro Corrections and is being held on a $50,000 cash bond. He was arraigned Friday and is scheduled to be back in court on July 24th.

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