Published Tuesday, October 29, 2002
to county court
By Larissa Theodore
A 39-year-old Fairview Township woman accused of forcing her two teen daughters to fast for 10 days called the charges against her "hearsay" Monday outside of district court in Mercer.
Christine M. Sauer, 109 Balut Road, Lot 1, is accused of forcing her 16- and 17-year-old daughters to consume only green beans and water because she wanted to "rid their souls of demons," according to a police affidavit.
She was charged Aug. 12 with two counts of endangering the welfare of a child -- a charge that carries a maximum penalty of up to 5 years in jail and up to $10,000 in fines -- and simple assault and harassment, a second-degree misdemeanor that carries a maximum sentence of up to 2 years in jail and $5,000 in fines.
"This has literally tore my family apart," she said. "The charges aren't true at all and I don't know where they got the bean purging from."
Ms. Sauer's preliminary hearing was waived to Common Pleas Court Monday. Assistant District Attorney Robert Kochems asked District Justice Ruth French to allow Ms. Sauer reasonable contact with her daughters. Kochems said "reasonable contact" is at the discretion of the girls' father, Ms. Sauer's ex-husband, with whom they are living.
Ms. Sauer said her daughters are the ones receiving the short end of the stick.
"My daughters have been uprooted from their home, their friends, their school and they're very upset about the whole thing," she said adding that her 17-year-old daughter is a senior and has to attend a different high school.
Police said they confirmed the allegations against Ms. Sauer through interviews and learned that her 16-year-old daughter was assaulted on Aug. 7.
State police trooper Shawn E. King Sr. and Cindy Reckhart from Mercer County Children and Youth Services went to the home to investigate allegations. During the interview, King said he saw a large blue-yellow-green bruise about the size of a half-dollar coin on the 16-year-old's jaw, according to court documents.
The girl told authorities that on Aug. 7 her mother had pulled her hair and hit her several times, causing the bruise. Through interviews they discovered that Ms. Sauer also forced her daughters to fast and the girls were on the third day of the fast.
Ms. Sauer was released on $5,000 unsecured bond Aug. 13. At a hearing Aug. 26, Mrs. French ordered Ms. Sauer to undergo a mental evaluation.
Ms. Sauer said she has visited her daughters, who are living in Pittsburgh, twice in the last month, adding that she said she had to hitchhike once from Springfield Township after her car broke down.
Sauer, who has prior drunken driving convictions, said she also has to undergo drug and alcohol counseling.
"I'm going to do what they want me to, to get through this," she said. "The Lord is still with me and nobody can take that away. I'm forced into this. My kids are good girls and I'm a good mom. I know that in my heart."
Ms. Sauer is being represented by Lowell Williams, public defender.
You can e-mail Herald Staff Writer Larissa Theodore at ltheodore@sharonherald.com