Muncie teen to be charged as adult for incident with child, lighter

Lina Portman3 weeks ago

0 2 minutes read

MUNCIE, Ind. — A 17-year-old Muncie mother accused of tormenting her child with a lighter will face criminal charges as an adult.

Nadeza Shreve – who will celebrate her 18th birthday in September – will be charged with attempted aggravated battery, criminal recklessness and neglect of a dependent, according to court documents.

Shreve is accused of using a lighter to try to set her 2-year-old daughter's forearm on fire, using perfume as an accelerant, on April 26.

Testimony at a Monday hearing indicated that other teens had engaged in similar behavior, briefly lighting flames on their own bodies and then putting out the flames before being burned, before Shreve tried to do so. same thing to his child.

The April 26 incident was captured on a friend's cellphone and the resulting recording was shown Monday to Juvenile Magistrate Amanda Yonally, who made the decision to send Shreve to adult court .

More: Prosecutors want teen mother charged with tormenting child with lighter charged as adult

The child was apparently not injured.

“It takes a certain type of person to prey on your own child,” Delaware County Prosecutor Eric Hoffman told the magistrate. “It’s depraved.”

Hoffman noted that the video showed Shreve “smiling and laughing” as the incident unfolded.

“She doesn’t care,” Hoffman said. “She finds it funny… It’s torture for a defenseless child.”

Attorney Lon Bryan — who sat at the defense table in Delaware County Juvenile Court with Shreve and his mother — argued that his client should remain under the jurisdiction of juvenile authorities.

“We have a group of minors, teenagers, having fun,” Bryan said.

The lawyer noted that there was no evidence that the child was harmed and that Shreve “had never been in trouble before.”

Hoffman and Assistant Prosecutor Diane Frye presented testimony from two Muncie police officers who investigated the incident after one of Shreve's acquaintances told them about the affair – and showed them the video – on May 8.

“It’s not the bloodiest thing I’ve seen, but one of the most disturbing,” one of the police officers said.

Shreve was arrested on May 8 and was held at the Delaware County Juvenile Detention Center until late May, when Yonnally decided she could be transferred to a residential treatment center in Grant County .

After returning the teen to adult court, the magistrate said Monday that Shreve would return to the detention center and — unless she posts bail set at $35,000 — would remain there until she turns 18 in september. At that point, she would be transferred to the Delaware County Jail.

The most serious of the charges against Shreve, attempted aggravated battery, is a Level 3 felony punishable by up to 16 years in prison.

Testimony at Monday's hearing indicated that Shreve had dropped out of high school.

“Somehow this child failed,” Yonally said. “And now her child has failed.”

Douglas Walker is a journalist at The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or [email protected].

Lina Portman

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