Central Nebraska Today
AURORA — An Aurora couple has been charged with child abuse after five children were found living in a tent without food and water. One of the children was later found wandering near Highway 34 at night.
Nathan Collingham, 45, has been charged with five counts of intentional child abuse – no injury, each a Class 3A felony.
Carrie Beck, 39, has been charged with six counts of intentional child abuse – no injury, each a Class 3A felony.
Collingham and Beck were both arraigned in Hamilton County Court on Tuesday, June 25. Collingham filed bail, $5,000 and Beck a personal recognizance bond.
A personal recognizance bond allows a defendant to be released on a ‘promise to pay;’ based upon their own signature.
A preliminary hearing for Collingham has been set for July 30 at 10 a.m. The hearing for Beck has been set for July 23 at 10 a.m.
According to court documents, on Saturday, June 15, Officer Peyton Ott with the Aurora Police Department was advised of a report of child abuse occurring at Lot 8 Green Meadows Estate at 10:40 p.m.
The report advised that a female at the residence had physically slapped a juvenile. The reporting party also advised that there were five juvenile children sleeping outside in a tent in front of the camper on Lot 8.
Arriving on scene, Officer Ott observed five children who were partially clothed in only t-shirts and shorts. They also appeared to be covered in bug bites and had other various scratches and bruises on their body.
When questioned about the marks on the children’s bodies, Beck stated that the children “beat up on each other.”
Officer Ott spoke with the owner of the residence, Collingham, who stated that the children were allowed to sleep in the camper but could also sleep in the tent, which only appeared to be a two- or three-person tent.
When questioned about the physical abuse claims, the female resident, Carrie Beck, denied the claims, according to Officer Ott.
While on scene, the children made several statements to Officer Ott, such as if he was there to take them, requesting to go to other residences, saying they were sleeping in the tent, saying they didn’t have a lot of food and water and being hungry.
One child approached Officer Ott and said that Beck had made them put on a shirt, “so she wouldn’t go to jail,” per court documents.
No food or water was available to the children in the area and the tent was soaked in water, with the juveniles clothing in totes in the driveway, according to Officer Ott.
Collingham agreed to show Officer Ott the inside of the camper, which he found to be cramped, cluttered with trash and personal belongings. He said there was not enough room for five children to sleep comfortably.
There were also two medium dogs inside the camper at the time.
Later, at 12:37 a.m., Hamilton County Dispatch received two separate calls regarding a young child walking in the middle of Highway 34 wrapped in a blanket.
Officer Ott located the seven-year-old child on the north side of Highway 34 near 20th St., who he recognized as one of the children from Lot 8.
The child was wrapped in a blanket and was not wearing shoes and stated that Collingham and Beck had locked them out of the camper.
Officer Ott returned to Lot 8 and questioned Collingham who stated that he knew the child was gone and had no intention of going and looking for them, saying that he had done it in the past and eventually returned.
Due to the living conditions and the danger to the child wandering the highway in the dark, both Collingham and Beck were arrested for child abuse.
Carrie Beck, (Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, Courtesy)
Nathan Collingham, (Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, Courtesy)
