San Antonio, Texas, April 19, 2018: Yesterday, a Bexar County Jury in Impact Court
found Deandre
Dorch, age 38, guilty of two counts of Injury to a Child causing Serious
Bodily Injury and two counts of Abandonment of a Child. Dorch will be sentenced
by Judge Laura Parker later next month.
On April 28, 2016, a resident in
the 8100 block of Chipping called 911 after hearing a child crying for several
hours. Bexar County Sheriff’s deputies arrived at the location and looked over
the fence, where they observed two young children tied up in the backyard. The
children, ages 3 and 4, were tied with a dog chain and leash; one of the
children was tied at the wrists and the other at the ankles. Deputies set both
children free and they were transported to the hospital for treatment of
numerous injuries. Inside the home, deputies found six children, ranging in age
from 10 months old to 11 years old, all without adult supervision.
Porucha Phillips, the mother of
the six children inside the home, showed up to the house an hour later with
Deandre Dorch. Cheryl Reed, the mother of the two children found outside, claimed
she was in California. She returned to San Antonio several days later. The trio
were all friends who had recently moved to Texas from California. All three
defendants were questioned by Bexar County Sheriff’s Office investigators. All
of the children are in the care of Child Protective Services. Reed faces
criminal charges of Injury to a Child – Serious Bodily Injury and Child
Abandonment stemming from this incident.
“I
have said many times that I believe children are gifts from the Lord and should
be treated as such. Our community should not tolerate evil behavior towards
children, this office definitely does not,” said District Attorney Nico LaHood.
Assistant District Attorneys
Emily Angulo and Karl Alexander prosecuted the case against Dorch in Impact
Court.
Injury to a Child – Serious
Bodily Injury is a first degree felony, punishable by 5 to 99 years or life in
prison and up to a $10,000.00 fine. Abandonment of a Child is a second degree
felony, punishable by 2 to 20 years in prison and up to a $10,000.00 fine.