New details emerged in court Tuesday in an ongoing child abuse case out of Ada County, where prosecutors allege Timothy Waterman abused his children over an extended period of time.
Warning: Some details in this article are disturbing.
After an initial arraignment Monday afternoon, both parties agreed to reschedule Waterman's arraignment for Tuesday, where prosecutors alleged years of "extreme abuse" in which the defendant inflicted pain on his 12 children.
Waterman is charged with eight felony counts of injury to a child and five felony counts of inflicting great bodily harm. The charges involve eight of the 12 children.
Prosecutors say Waterman would discipline his kids by bending them over and striking them with objects like wooden spoons or whips, sometimes until they bled, and on more than one occasion on their bare private parts. The state alleges Waterman would then put ginger root or hot sauce on the wounds to intensify the pain.
His children range in age from four to 19 years old.
Waterman turned himself in Friday afternoon after a warrant was issued. The warrant came after a two-month investigation, following the report of abuse to authorities on November 30.
Doctor examinations of the children reportedly revealed scarring on the children's bodies "consistent with ritualistic abuse".
Waterman's attorney argued his client has no criminal history prior to these charges, and after a family discussion in August 2016, the alleged abuse stopped. Waterman has reportedly been undergoing counseling.
Waterman's bail was set at $25,000 and his preliminary hearing is scheduled for February 20 at 8:30 a.m.
A no-contact order was issued to prevent Waterman from contacting his wife or children.
