Coweta County mother denied bond on abuse charges

COWETA COUNTY, Ga. - A Coweta County mother accused of abusing her young infant daughter and then fleeing the state appeared before a judge Friday was denied bond.

Judge Robert Stokely told Bethany Watts he would consider bond for her if she could prove she had a place to live and could afford GPS monitoring during Friday’s hearing. Ultimately, Watt’s bond request was denied because she had no home and failed to immediately surrender to the marshals.

In February doctors at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston told authorities Watts' 3-month of daughter had 17 broken bones in her legs, arms and ribs. Investigators immediately arrested the child's father Michael Watts, who told deputies the injuries might have happened while he changed the baby's diaper.

Authorities also took out a warrant for the arrest of Bethany Watts, but before they could arrest her, investigators said she fled to Arkansas. Prosecutor on Friday said Watts left the state with this man Rusty Mahan, who is a convicted sex offender from Douglas County. U. S. Marshals tracked the two to Boone County, Arkansas where they surrounded the house. After a brief standoff, prosecutors said Watts and Mahan were arrested.

Rusty Mahan was turned over to federal authorities for possible charges while Watts returned to Georgia.

Authorities said the young infant is healing. She remains in state custody.