Lawrenceburg, IN—“Today, thanks to the heroic efforts of a brave teenage foster child, two former Dearborn County foster parents have been convicted and sentenced on multiple counts of abuse and will serve decades in prison,” said Dearborn County Prosecutor Lynn Deddens following the sentencing hearing. The teenager captured the abuse on video and sent it to a friend, who turned it over to the police prompting an investigation which led to the arrest and conviction.
“My office will always fight for our most vulnerable citizens and will seek justice on their behalf,” said Deddens.
On July 27th, 2018, Dearborn County Sheriff’s Deputy Hayden Hummel was contacted by an individual who indicated she had received videos showing acts of abuse towards a child at the home of Tim and Diane Combs, Jeanie Drive, Aurora. This person advised her teenage son had given a cell phone to a foster child placed in the Combs’ residence. Upon visiting the home and viewing the video with permission of Tim Combs and the foster child, multiple videos documenting instances of child abuse were discovered. At that time, all of the children in the home were immediately removed and placed by the Department of Child Services.
A months-long investigation followed and revealed disturbing details of the ongoing terror and abuse suffered by the children who had been in the care of Tim and Diane Combs. The Combs’ had been foster parents since 2014 and have had 38 children in their care and custody over the years. They had many children in their home at the time of the investigation ranging in age from 2 years old to aged 16. Among the children found in the home were four foster children, one child adopted by the Combs and three other children who the Combs were babysitting at the time.
One of the young victims, aged 4, interviewed at the time reported when they, “peed in our diapers and made us do wall squats and put them in our mouth,” referring to Diane. Other abuses included picking up and shaking young children, hitting, kicking, name-calling, and picking up victims by the legs and dropping them on their heads.
Prosecutor Lynn Deddens expressed strong concern for the well-being of the children in this case. “This is one of the most egregious cases I have come across in my time as Prosecutor. These children are the most vulnerable among all children we strive to protect. They were abused by the very people entrusted with their care after suffering from abuse and neglect which led to their removal from their biological families.” Deddens continues, “We must seek justice in this case and ensure that Mr. and Mrs. Combs never again have the opportunity to harm children.”
The couple were both sentenced this month, with Mrs. Combs sentencing concluding today. On September 5, 2019, Tim Combs pled guilty to three counts of battery, as level 5 felonies, and will be remanded to the Indiana Department of Correction for a period of 18 years with 5 suspended. Diane Combs pled guilty to multiple counts, including aggravated battery, as level 3 felonies, and will be remanded to the Indiana Department of Correction to serve 20 years in prison followed by 12 years on probation.
“These convictions were based upon multiple documented instances of abuse, many of which were caught on video, “ says Deddens. “I am thankful for the bravery of one child whose actions likely saved the lives of the other children in the home and of the diligent work by the Dearborn County Sheriffs Department in investigating this case. Thanks to these efforts, these individuals will now spend time behind bars for their heinous crimes.”
