Oregon police have arrested a teacher and her parents after they were indicted on child abuse charges and found hiding out in a coastal hotel.
A Deschutes County grand jury handed up indictments for Sarah Session, 33; Paula Hardenburg, 60; and Gary Hardenburg; 65, on Tuesday, but they were not arrested until Friday when US Marshals helped find them “holed up” at a hotel in Coos County, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office said.
Session was charged with second degree attempted murder, first, second, and third degree assault, criminal mistreatment, and coercion. The Hardenburgs were charged with first- and second degree criminal mistreatment and tampering with evidence. Paula Hardenburg has an additional charged of second degree assault.
According to KATU, Session assaulted a child under 10-years-old with sodium and hit him with a curtain rod and window stopper. In one case, the charges say, she forced the boy to eat his own vomit.
The abuse took place between June 1, 2023, and February 6, 2024, and court documents say Session shows a lack of remorse.
Eighteen witnesses, including doctors and detectives, testified to the grand jury.
Session reportedly worked as a special education teacher during the 2020 and 2021 school year
According to Law&Crime, the indictments came after a “lengthy investigation.” The court documents say Session violated to professional responsibility to care for and educate children, although it does not appear the abuse took place while she was working as a teacher.
Session reportedly has three children, one of them a stepchild from a previous marriage. The victim of the abuse was reportedly the stepson, according to Oregon Public Broadcasting.
OPB said that charges were initially filed against Session and then dismissed without prejudice while the sheriff’s office continued to investigate.
Prosecutors said of the abuse against the boy that it was “deliberately cruel” and that the degree of harm “was significantly greater than is typical for such an offense.”
Session and the Hardenburgs are being held without bond and are due in court on Monday.
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[Featured image: Sarah Session, Gary Hardenburg, and Paula Hardenburg/Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office]
