34-year-old Jeriane Alexus Minor had a domestic altercation with her juvenile daughter at their 14th Avenue South residence shortly after midnight on August 17th. Jeriane called 911, stating her daughter was running around slamming doors inside the house because she had gotten her phone taken away. Officers arrived and spoke with Jeriane, who told them that she confiscated her daughter’s phone after she had been screaming and acting up for hours. Then, Jeriane further explained that she initially “whooped” her daughter with a belt and told her to go to bed. However, her daughter did not calm down and grabbed her sister’s phone despite not being allowed to. Jeriane stated that after her daughter grabbed her sister’s phone, her sister began crying. After this, Jeriane said she told her daughter to stop yelling several times and to sleep in the living room. Jeriane then grabbed a wrench and smashed her daughter’s phone as punishment. Jeriane told officers that this caused her daughter to become more upset and charge at her. Jeriane said she believed her daughter was attacking her, so she struck her once in the face. Her daughter responded by balling her fists up and acting as if she would fight Jeriane. Then, Jeriane stated that her son tried holding her daughter back to keep them from each other. After this, Jeriane mentioned that her boyfriend, Ronald Pillo, was present for the incident but was unclear about his actions. Pillo tried retrieving the phone from her daughter after she tried leaving the house with it. Jeriane added that she grabbed her daughter’s shirt as she was leaving the residence and attempted to get her cell phone. Then, after her daughter left, Jeriane locked the door so she could not return inside. Jeriane told the police that she eventually opened the door for her daughter because she was outside screaming and she was afraid of waking up their neighbors. Jeriane said that after this, she had called 911.
Officers then spoke with Jeriane’s son, who agreed with his mother’s version of events. He stated that he held his sister back from assaulting his mother. He added that Jeriane hit his sister with her fist and not the wrench she was holding. After this, the police spoke with Jeriane’s daughter, who stated that she and her brother were arguing but that Jeriane only scolded her. Then, Jeriane’s daughter said she went to her room following the dispute. She added that her mother entered her bedroom and started arguing with her before taking her phone away. Jeriane’s daughter said her mother told her to lie down, but she went outside for forty minutes instead. Then, Jeriane’s daughter told officers that after she returned from outside, she wanted to use the TV. However, she explained that she needed to use a phone as a remote since the TV’s remote did not work. Jeriane’s daughter stated she then used her sister’s phone, which made her sister cry and tell their mother about it. After this, she said that Jeriane hit her with a belt about four times. She noted that this left visible marks on her right wrist, left bicep, and right thigh. She added that Jeriane then told her to sleep on the couch. Jeriane’s daughter stated that she started arguing with her brother again, after which Jeriane damaged her cell phone as punishment. Then, Jeriane’s daughter said she went onto the porch for about three minutes. She stated that when she came back inside, Jeriane punched her in the face three times. Jeriane’s daughter added that her mother was holding something in her fist and that part of it was impacting her face during the strikes. She went into detail, stating that she was punched once in the left eye, once in the right eye, and then the mouth. Officers observed bruising, redness, and swelling consistent with her account of being struck by a belt and Jeriane’s fist. When NFD medics arrived to inspect Jeriane’s daughter, they determined it would be best if she went to the hospital. Then, Jeriane agreed to let her daughter go to Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital and said she would rather sleep than accompany her. Officers were advised to arrest Minor and contact DCS to ensure a guardian was present for the juveniles. Minor was later taken into custody for child abuse on August 19th.
