A Greene County woman has been arrested for allegedly hitting children for the second time in six months, according to reports obtained from the Greene County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies charged Joy Elizabeth Kuper, 46, with battery, cruelty to children in the third degree, and cruelty to children in the first degree in the wake of the latest incident on March 1.
On Oct. 21, 2024, Kuper was also arrested and charged with cruelty to children.
Deputies Devin Skillman and Lt. Patrick Paquette responded to a Granite Cove address regarding a domestic incident called in by an eight-year-old female child. The child told dispatchers that her mother was attempting to hit her 12-year-old brother and that she feared for her own safety. The child stayed on the line with dispatch while deputies were en route to the scene.
According to Skillman’s account, when the deputies arrived, they found Kuper sitting in the driveway and talking on the phone.
Kuper had to be told several times to end her call and speak with deputies.
Paquette took the children inside the home while Skillman tried to assess the situation.
According to the report, Kuper was swaying from side to side and had a strong odor of alcoholic beverage coming from her person with “slurred speech that was difficult to understand at times.”
Paquette came back outside and encouraged Kuper to get someone to stay with the children because she was likely going to jail. Kuper was detained in Skillman’s patrol while the deputies continued their investigation.
The 12-year-old child said his mother was very intoxicated and came into his room and hit him in the face with a closed fist and a second time in the left eye. The other child on the scene confirmed what her brother said.
The father was out of town at the time, but the eight-year-old said he had told her to call law enforcement if she felt uncomfortable and stay on the phone until deputies arrived.
The deputies found the father's Buckhead address, and the Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) provided a contact number.
Paquette was able to contact him, and he came to get the children. When he arrived, the children, along with the family dog and cat, were turned over to him.
Skillman transported Kuper to the Morgan County Jail.
After leaving the scene, dispatch notified Skillman that Deputy Quin’Sha Goss responded to this same address on Oct. 21, 2024, and Kuper was arrested after kicking the eight-year-old in the back. She told the deputy it was reflex action after the eighty-year-old, who had been cartwheeling in the house, kicked her, and she kicked back.
DFCS was notified about both incidents.