Sheffield woman accused of slapping child

SHEFFIELD, Al.
A Sheffield woman faces child abuse charges amid allegations that she hit her 6-year-old daughter in the face hard enough to bloody her nose, police said Wednesday.

Jo Ann Barranco

Jo Ann Barranco, 39, 406 Austin Ave., Sheffield, is charged with torture, willful abuse of a child under 18 years old. Sheffield police Capt. Scott Wallace said several witnesses saw Barranco slap her daughter in the face.
“The child was not injured other than the bloody nose, but she could have been hurt a lot worse,” Wallace said. He said the incident occurred Friday, and arrest warrants were issued Wednesday morning.
Witnesses told police Barranco was walking on Second Street, near the Sheffield Fire Department, with three of her four children.
“She was pushing her 2-year-old daughter in a stroller and her 6-year-old twin girls were walking ahead of her,” Wallace said. “At some point, one of the girls either walked into or ran into the street.”
Witnesses said Barranco caught up to the girl, grabbed her by the head, put one of her hands at the back of her head and then slapped the child in the face.
Wallace said the Colbert County Department of Human Resources investigated the allegation. When completed, all three of Barranco’s children, along with a 12-year-old girl who was left at home alone, were placed in foster care.
“After we completed our investigation, the case was presented to the Colbert County District Attorney’s Office and Barranco was charged,” Wallace said.
The charge is a Class C felony, which is punishable by 1-10 years in prison should she be found guilty.
Barranco is being held in the Colbert County Jail on bail totaling $20,000.