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Written by A. Smith
Published October 21, 2022 @ 9:55 AM ET
Updated October 27, 2022 @ 11:21 AM ET
Warning: The following story contains information regarding violence against children.
Glynn County (October 5, 2022) – Police received a call from a residence from a frantic, upset mother. She wanted to report that her husband, Austin Mummey, became angry that his stepson was allegedly watching him sleep. He became aggressive and held him down with a blanket over his mouth, rendering him unable to breathe and causing his mouth to fill with blood.
When the police arrived at the residence, they met with the child’s mother, who was visibly shaking and crying. She advised that Mummey was still inside the home. The police knocked on the door and asked Mummey to come outside. 911 dispatch notified the officers that there was a possibility that Mummey may have a knife. Before speaking with him, they searched him to ensure their safety. They did not find a knife.
Mummey was asked how the incident started. He immediately said that his memory was bad. He stated that he woke up from sleeping and asked his stepson a question, but the child did not answer. The child started screeching loudly, so he covered his mouth with a blanket to make him be quiet. Mummey said he spanked the child with his hand and put him in the corner for timeout.
The police then went inside the speak with the child’s mother. It was apparent that the house was in disarray. She stated that Mummey woke up angry because he said the child was watching him sleep. He asked the child why and the child did not respond. Mummey then spanked and placed him in timeout, but the child started crying loudly.
This further agitated Mummey, so he grabbed a blanket, threw the victim on the floor, and got on top of him. He covered the child’s mouth and squeezed tightly. The mother stated that she could see that her son could not breathe, so she tried to get Mummey off of him numerous times, but he kept pushing her away. He had the child pinned on the floor and wouldn’t let go.
The suspect eventually let him go, and she called the police. She stated that this was not the first time Mummey had become violent and that she is scared of him. Officers checked on the child, who had an injured tooth under his top lip. The child stated that he was okay, but his tooth was loose and hurting him.
The family was offered services at the Amity House and was advised of the eviction process.
Due to the testimonial and physical evidence, Mummey was charged with simple battery under the family violence act and cruelty to children in the first degree. He was arrested and transported to Glynn County jail.
Mummey has prior charges from October 2021 for DUI, possession of cocaine and fentanyl, and possession of marijuana, less than one ounce. These charges are unrelated to this case. Both criminal cases are currently pending.
Officer’s Narrative:
[Please note: The following is a direct transcription from the official initial incident report. The Georgia Gazette does not fix any spelling or grammatical errors that may exist. Any changes or redactions made by our staff are placed inside brackets. Some errors may exist. All subjects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The topics discussed may be sensitive to some readers. Discretion is advised.]
[NARRATIVE #1 On October 05, 2022]
On the above date I responded to [1700 BLOCK] Newcastle Street #[REDACTED] in reference to a domestic.
Upon my arrival I made contact with [VICTIM #1] in the breeze way. I asked her where was the male that was causing the problem, and she pointed to the door. I knocked on the door and asked the male to step outside. Due to dispatch saying he possibly had a knife I searched his person for my protection. [VICTIM #1] went back inside the residence.
The male identified himself as Austin Mummey. I asked his what was going on, he stated, He spanked Juvenile #1, on the butt, with his hand and made him stand in the corner. Mr. Mummey stated, Juvenile #1 started screeching loudly. He stated, he covered his mouth with a blanket because he wanted him to be quiet. Mr. Mummey stated, Juvenile #1 bit in the blanket causing him to damage his tooth. I asked him how did all of this start, he stated, his memory was bad. He stated, he woke up out of his sleep and ask Juvenile #1 a question and he did not want to answer.
Officer Wright stood outside with Mr. Mummey while I went inside to speak to [VICTIM #1]. She stated, Mr. Mummey woke up and was mad because he said Juvenile #1 was watching him sleep. [VICTIM #1] stated, when he questioned Juvenile #1 about this, he was still upset because he did not answer him. She stated, he spanked him on the butt with his hand, and made him stand in timeout. [VICTIM #1] stated, he then took the blanket and covered Juvenile #1 mouth and squeezed while holding it.
She also stated, he had Juvenile #1 on the floor and would not let him go, she stated, she tried to break Juvenile #1 from his hold and was pushed by Mr. Mummey. [VICTIM #1] stated, this is not the first time Mr. Mummey has been violent, but it is the first time it has been this bad. Juvenile #1 had a messed up tooth from todays incident and [VICTIM #1] declined squad several times.
I visually saw that the residence was in disarray. Juvenile #1 appeared to be ok at the time of this incident. [VICTIM #1] was very upset and crying because Mr. Mummey scared her. I advised [VICTIM #1] that she could go to the Amity House if she needed to, and also she could have Mr. Mummey evicted. She stated, her family was trying to come up with a plan to come and get her and Juvenile #1. [VICTIM #1] was given a copy of this case number.
[End of Narrative]
[NARRATIVE #2 On October 05, 2022]
On the above date I responded to [1700 BLOCK] Newcastle Street Apartment [REDACTED] with Office Walker in reference to a Domestic. When arrived on scene Officer Walker did a pat down on Mr. Austin Mummey for any weapons. We then seperated him from [VICTIM #1] to get the understanding of what occurred.
When Austin started telling his side of the story [VICTIM #1] got upset and started crying and shaking. I then asked [VICTIM #1] to step inside of her apartment and tell me her side of the story. [VICTIM #1] stated while her son [JUVENILE #1] was crying, Austin got on top of him and covered his mouth. [VICTIM #1] stated she could see [JUVENILE #1] trying to breathe but couldn’t, so she tried to get Austin off of him and he kept pushing her away.
She said she tried again and kept pushing her away. I then asked if her son [JUVENILE #1] was ok and she said yes. After her telling her side, I asked how did Mr. Austin cover [JUVENILE #1] mouth and she said placed a blanket over his mouth with hand. I then asked to lay eyes on [JUVENILE #1] because [VICTIM #1] stated his mouth was full of blood. She then got [JUVENILE #1] to open his room door. I asked him was he ok and he said yes. [VICTIM #1] then showed be a tooth that was under [JUVENILE #1] top lip. The tooth was loose and everytime [VICTIM #1] touched it, [JUVENILE #1] said it hurts. I then asked if she wantd squad to come take a look at him and she said no.
After speaking with [VICTIM #1], I then went back outside with Officer Walker. While Officer Walker was speaking with Austin, he mentioned that he covered [JUVENILE #1] mouth to stop him from “screeching”. Before Officer Walker walked off to speak with [VICTIM #1], I asked Mr. [Austin] how did he cover [JUVENILE #1] mouth and he stated with a blanket and his hand. Officer Walker then stated that he did not mention a blanket.
After Officer Walker spoke with [VICTIM #1], Mr. Austin was placed in handcuffs,checked for tightness and double locked. He was then escorted to the marked patrol vehicle and searched prior to being transported by Officer Walker. This concludes my involvement in this case.
[End of Narrative]