Former West Bend clerk accused of child abuse

The former West Bend city clerk is facing felony child abuse charges.

A criminal complaint alleges Guadalupe Lizbet Santana, 35, whipped two children with phone cords, sprayed them in the face with bleach and punched one of them in the face. The complaint also alleges she would leave the state without bringing the children with her. 

Police got involved on Oct. 23, when a relative of the children reported the alleged abuse. The now-former West Bend city clerk resigned from her position on Oct. 25.

She told the clerk's office it was because she needed to care for a sick family member, but the criminal complaint that was filed paints a darker picture.

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The complaint alleges the two children were taken to the emergency room by a family member. Medical evaluations of the children revealed several signs of abuse, including scars and cord-shaped marks on the body.

The complaint alleges that Santana admitted to what she did, however, she said she meant to spray the children with a "different deodorizing spray" but grabbed the bleach by accident.

Santana is charged with two counts of physical abuse of a child. If she is convicted of both counts of child abuse, she could spend up to 12 years in prison.

The Wisconsin Department of Children and Families counted more than 74,000 reports of child maltreatment in the greater Milwaukee area in 2021.

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FOX6 reached out to several different victim advocacy centers about why these situations happen so often, but they did not return our calls.