By Jeff Devine
A Clayhatchee woman has been taken into custody following an extensive investigation into a suspected child abuse case.
According to jail records, Tonya Griswold faces charges of torture and willful abuse of a child. Dale County Sheriff Mason Bynum said the investigation began earlier this summer after the Department of Human Resources (DHR) received a complaint regarding possible abuse in Clayhatchee.
Authorities report that DHR representatives visited Griswold’s residence on Highway 85, where they interviewed a young family member who appeared to have multiple bruises across their body. Sheriff Bynum told WDHN that the child had allegedly been struck with an unknown object, describing the injuries as “very excessive in nature.”
Griswold was arrested on September 30 and was originally held without bond. However, when we reached out to the Dale County Jail, we learned Griswold bonded out over the weekend.
If we learn more information about this case, we will provide an update.
It is the general policy of the Dale County Chronicle to include the following statement on all news reports involving arrests: in the American criminal justice system, all suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
