A sailor at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Detachment-San Diego was arrested Aug. 15 and charged with willful harm to a child, infliction of great bodily injury and torture, according to a release by the Murrieta Police Department.
MMN1 Benjamin Matthew Whitten, 33, and his live-in girlfriend, Jeryn Johnson, 25, were taken into custody after Murrieta PD and Murrieta Fire and Rescue responded to a 911 call and discovered Whitten’s severely injured and malnourished 5-year-old son.
“Due to the severity of the child‘s medical condition, he was ultimately airlifted to a hospital in San Diego County,” the police statement read.
A search of the home revealed abhorrent living conditions.
Authorities discoverd feces and urine throughout the residence, and 11 dogs and four cats were found. Riverside County Animal Control later removed the animals from the home, according to a report by the Los Angeles Times.
As the child remained in grave condition yesterday, the charge of torture was added to both Whitten and Johnson, Murrieta PD said
In September 2016, Johnson posted in a child care Facebook group that she wanted to provide child care for other mothers out of the home, a report by KTLA found.
“I‘m a military wife and stay at home mom to a 4 year old boy,” the Facebook post read. ”I’m not licensed but I am cpr and 1st aid certified. Please private message me if interested!”
Whitten, originally from Texas, enlisted in the Navy in January 2009 and has been stationed at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Detachment since March 2016.
Whitten and Johnson were booked into the Cois Byrd Detention Center and are both scheduled to appear in court today.
J.D. Simkins is the executive editor of Military Times and Defense News, and a Marine Corps veteran of the Iraq War.
