MARIETTA — A Marietta woman accused of beating her son with a belt and stick when he answered multiplication questions wrong was among the 17 people indicted by a Washington County grand jury this month.

Gloria E. Wittekind, 46, of 609 Montgomery St., Marietta, faces a third-degree felony charge of endangering children.

“She wanted her 10-year-old son to study his multiplication tables and was asking him questions,” said Rhonda Mears, assistant prosecutor. “He wasn’t answering correctly so when he answered wrong she would hit him.”

Mears said Wittekind allegedly beat her son with a stick, belt and another object she found on the basement floor over the course of two days, July 9 and 10.

“She broke the stick over his back, his back had so many purple and blue bruises,” said Mears. “He’s only maybe 90 pounds.”

Mears said an adult sister of the child reported the alleged abuse to Marietta police July 12 after noticing her brother wearing a hooded sweatshirt even though the temperatures that week were in the 90s.

“He said it was to cushion the impact of his mother’s strikes,” said Mears. “God bless that sister who had the courage to report this.”

Other indictments:

* Ashley D. Mahoney, 31, of 595 W. Fifth St., Chillicothe, faces six felony counts related to trafficking and possession of drugs from a case tracked by the Washington Morgan Noble Major Crimes Task Force in February.

Mahoney and her boyfriend Richard Graves, also of Chillicothe, were staying in the Microtel in Marietta Feb. 3 when the task force received a tip from a room a few doors down of suspected drug activity.

“The task force approached and (Mahoney and Graves) consented to a search of the room,” said assistant prosecutor Joe Derkin. “They found syringes, bags with residue and digital scales with residue and cellphone texts indicating heroin trafficking.”

Derkin said a “rig” was also found in Mahoney’s waistband that held a syringe with trace amounts of heroin in it.

Then on Feb. 5 additional drugs were found on her person during a search at the jail.

Mahoney faces two counts of tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony, one count of aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony, one count of illegal conveyance of drugs of abuse onto the grounds of a specified governmental facility, a third-degree felony, one count of possession of criminal tools, a fifth-degree felony, and one count of trafficking in heroin, a fifth-degree felony.

* Jeremy W. Carpenter, 32, of 804 Front St., Marietta, was indicted on three counts of domestic violence, a fourth-degree felony.

Carpenter allegedly hit his then-girlfriend Suzanne Tucker across the left eye with the back of his hand in February, resulting in the first of the three charges. The other charges resulted from a March case when Carpenter returned to Tucker’s home to retrieve his belongings and had Tucker by the neck when a 14-year-old juvenile tried to intervene in the violence.

* Jackson F. Bowers, 47, of 411 Pennock Drive, Apt. C, Beverly, was indicted on one count of domestic violence, a fourth-degree misdemeanor, and one count of aggravated menacing, a first-degree misdemeanor.

A history of threats and abuse allegedly culminated last July in threats made by Bowers against Tanya Bowers, with whom he shares a child.

“He got up and was looking on Craigslist for weapons and indicated to her that we was tired of her and wanted to get rid of her,” said Assistant Prosecutor Amy Graham. “At the time they were living together. When he left she notified her family of the threats and they reported him.”

* Lynn A. Elkayam, 41, of 2255 Tick Ridge Road, Vincent, was indicted on one count of unauthorized use of a vehicle, a first-degree misdemeanor.

Elkayam was living with the son of Paul and Mary Sutton when she allegedly took the Suttons’ vehicle without permission.

“When the Suttons realized the car was gone they called law enforcement because they were worried that she was mixed up in drugs,” said Graham. “She returned the car without damage but had taken it without permission, hence the unauthorized use rather than grand theft charge.”

* Shandi R. Hamrick, 28, of 3512 Elm St., Parkersburg, was indicted on one count of possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony.

On Oct. 28, 2016, Hamrick was present at the time of a separate search warrant execution in connection with a set of thefts.

“She happened to be at the residence law enforcement was searching and they noticed a knife on top of her purse,” said Graham.

The purse was searched and officials allegedly found methamphetamine in it.

“Then when she was being processed at the jail she produced more meth out of her bra,” said Graham.”

The total amount of methamphetamine allegedly found on Hamrick was 0.4 grams.

* Richard W. Farnsworth, 56, of 761 Buckeye Ave., Marietta, was indicted on one count of felonious assault, a second-degree felony.

On June 12, Farnsworth reportedly argued with roommate Jason Whittaker at their home and he then stabbed Whittaker in the back.

Whittaker needed medical attention for the 1-inch cut he sustained.

* Brian “Cadillac” Barnett, 29, of 1007 Florence St., Belpre, was indicted on one count of possession of criminal tools, a fifth-degree felony.

On Jan. 25 the task force executed a search warrant at the home of Barnett and found digital scales, syringes and other drug paraphernalia.

Barnett was being investigated in connection with fentanyl trafficking in the area.

* Christopher S. Stoops, 46, of 708 ¢ Ohio Ave., Belpre, was indicted on one count of domestic violence, a first-degree misdemeanor, unlawful restraint, a third-degree misdemeanor, and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, a fifth-degree felony.

On May 29 Stoops allegedly sent several threatening texts to his then-girlfriend Loretta Deenis because she would not allow him to use her vehicle.

“When she got home he threw her on the couch and struck her and broke her glasses,” said Derkin. “She got away from him and out to the garage to try to leave and he shoved her into the washing machine and took her keys and took off with her car out of state.”

* David C. Phares II, 44, of 384 Spruce Run Road, Glenville, W.Va., was indicted on one count of passing bad checks, a fifth-degree felony.

Phares allegedly wrote a check to Bridgeport Equipment to rent a bulldozer in the amount of $1,550. The check bounced in August.

“After being notified both by phone and certified mail he never paid,” said Derkin.

* Graeme P. Alexander, 27, of 814 Leonard Ave., Belpre, was indicted on one count of endangering children, a second-degree felony, and tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony.

Alexander was arrested and charged with child endangering June 13 after his 2-month-old son was flown to Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus. Alexander was accused of shaking and seriously injuring the infant.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office reported that Alexander said on July 15 that it had been his mother who had shaken his child.

Alexander provided text messages on his phone that allegedly were from his mother admitting to hurting his baby. But when detectives met with Alexander’s mother, Kelly Alexander, she reportedly disputed her son’s claim.

Officials believe the text messages were falsified because Kelly told the detectives her son had the passcode to her phone.

* David A. Richards, Jr., 23, of 121 Rockland Drive, Williamstown, was indicted on one count of theft, a fifth-degree felony.

On Feb. 10 Richards allegedly walked out of Bridgeport Equipment with a concrete chainsaw valued at $2,200.

“He came into the store multiple times before that and applied for a job during one visit,” explained Mears. “Then on Feb. 10 when he came in he picked up a display saw and walked out the door with it. He was actually arrested in West Virginia for bringing stolen property into the state.”

* Joshua R. Lewis, 33, of 1202 Hocking Road, Belpre, was indicted on one count of violating a protection order, a fifth-degree felony, one count of aggravated burglary, a first-degree felony, one count of violating a protection order, a third-degree felony, one count of domestic violence, a first-degree misdemeanor, and one count of assault, a first-degree misdemeanor.

On April 18 Lewis allegedly contacted his minor son, a violation of a protection order. Then, on June 2, Lewis trespassed in the New Matamoras home of his wife, Stacey Lewis, who also has the protection order, and used pepper spray on her and another individual in the home.

* Patrick D. Worstell, 32, of 320 Browns Road, Marietta, was indicted on one count of grand theft of a motor vehicle, a fourth-degree felony.

On July 5, 2016, Worstell allegedly stole a Chevy Silverado from the home of Junior and Amanda Tidd in Marietta, while it was sitting in their driveway that night. Officials recovered the vehicle in Marietta the next day and found the fingerprints and DNA of Worstell inside.

* Co-defendants Corey L. Smearman, 29, of 570 Albright Road, Beverly, and Jennifer D. Science, 44, of 1421 Lancaster St., Marietta, were indicted in connection with a December traffic stop by Marietta police which led to the discovery of methamphetamine and suspected trafficking.

“On Dec. 5, 2016 Marietta police stopped the vehicle Science was driving and a K-9 unit indicated there were drugs,” explained Derkin. “A bag in the front seat was found to have glass meth smoking pipes, digital scales and (plastic) bags. And five bags with 0.93 grams of meth in them were found in a tin.”

Derkin said Smearman was also found in possession of two syringes on his person and a cylinder keychain that contained a hidden bag of 0.5 grams of methamphetamine inside.

Smearman faces one count of aggravated trafficking in drugs, a fourth-degree felony, aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony, and one count of possessing drugs abuse instruments, a second-degree misdemeanor.

Science faces one count of aggravated trafficking in drugs, a fourth-degree felony, aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony, and possession of drug paraphernalia, a fourth-degree misdemeanor.