Child abuse charges filed against Suring couple

A Suring couple has been charged with multiple counts of child abuse for allegedly mistreating two girls, ages 5 and 7, in their care. The criminal complaint against Shawn Paholke, 33, and Jennifer Fendryk, 31, of Suring, alleges they withheld food and locked Paholke’s 5-year-old daughter in her room, allowing her out to scrub floors and do exercises, such as jumping jacks. Paholke also threatened to cut off the girl’s hands, the complaint states. The two girls began living with her father in 2011, when the 5-year-old was a healthy weight. She weighed 24 pounds when child protection workers took her from the home on May 23, 2013, after a physician examining her alerted the Oconto County Department of Human Services. The doctor had advised Paholke to seek immediate treatment for the girl. A healthy weight for her age is 40 pounds. The complaint also alleges Paholke’s 7-year-old daughter was tied to a pole at the home on a hot day, July 4, 2012, and suffered burns on her arms. The couple waived a preliminary hearing Oct. 2 in Oconto County Court and are scheduled for an arraignment on Oct. 29. Paholke faces 12 different charges, Fendryk, 11. Bond was set at $250,000 cash for each.