Charges: West St. Paul mom burns boy's face with iron

A West St. Paul woman faces a gross misdemeanor for allegedly using a hot iron to burn her 7-year-old son on the face, FOX 9 reported.

Nachelle Denora Haggins, 25, is charged with one count of malicious punishment of a child.

According to the criminal complaint, police received a call from the boy's elementary school in West St. Paul after he showed up last Friday with a burn mark on his cheek.

The boy told a school official that "his mother burned him because he was 'bad,'" the complaint states.

Investigators said the injury was "consistent with a clothing iron being pressed against the child’s face with the tip of the iron pointed towards the child’s mouth."

A second injury to the boy's other cheek was also visible. The boy eventually told police that the injury was also caused by Haggins, who hit him with a belt.

When questioned by officers about the alleged abuse, Haggins said the boy had fallen while he was playing with other kids in a park.