Springfield man used stun gun on 3 toddlers as 'discipline,' police say

A Springfield couple has been charged with multiple felonies each after police say the man used a stun gun on their three toddlers.

Gale Epple, 22, allegedly used a stun gun on a 2-year-old girl and 1-year-old twins — the children of his 21-year-old wife, Shelby Crabtree.

On Jan. 23, a baby sitter was bathing the toddlers when she noticed bruising and small, round, red marks on each, according to the probable cause statement.

She notified law enforcement later that night and provided officers with video and audio recordings of conversations she had with Crabtree and Epple, the statement said.

According to police, the recordings show that when the baby sitter accused Epple of using a stun gun on the toddlers, he replied: "Yeah, I know I shouldn't."

The statement said Epple denied assaulting the children when asked about the bruising, which medical staff diagnosed to be non-accidental trauma and/or child abuse.

The documents say Epple said, "That don't hurt though, that's a stun gun."

Epple confirmed he used the stun gun as a form of discipline, according to the statement.

Crabtree, the mother, was confronted about why she allowed Epple to use a stun gun on the children and why she didn't report the injuries to authorities, the statement said.

Crabtree replied, "If I take them to the hospital they are gonna get tooken (sic) away" and that she would not allow her children to be taken by the "damned state," according to the statement.

According to a bond document, Crabtree told law enforcement that she did not report the incident to police because they just got married and did not want to get divorced.

The bond document said when police and the Department of Social Services Children's Division found the toddlers, they were lying on dirty mattresses on the floor, without sheets or pillows. The document described the home as "filthy with trash covering most of the floor and cockroaches visible on the counters and sinks."

Officers noticed multiple bruises, scratches and burns on the children's bodies, the document said.

Police said Epple's probation officer provided a written and signed statement from Epple in which he admitted using a stun gun on the children.

Epple was on probation for fraudulent use of a credit or debit card out of Pike County at the time of the alleged offense, the bond document said. He also has been convicted of misdemeanor stealing.

Greene County prosecutors have charged Epple with three counts of child abuse or neglect, a class D felony.

Crabtree has been charged with three counts of child endangerment, which is also a class D felony.