Police: Boy severely burned after being forced to stand barefoot outside

A Phoenix couple is facing charges of child abuse after a 6-year-old boy suffered severe burns from being forced to stand barefoot on hot ground.

Police say Mark Simmons, 27, made the boy stand barefoot in the backyard for 10 minutes as punishment and hit him multiple times with a belt, leaving bruises.

Sarah Simmons, 30, is accused of cutting the blistered flaps from the bottom of the boy's feet and threatening to make him stand outside again if he didn't stop crying, according to court documents.

Phoenix police Child Crime Detectives began investigating the case after being called to the Maricopa County Burn Center on July 12, two days after the incident took place.

Sarah Simmons would later tell police that they didn't seek immediate medical treatment for the child because she was "afraid the children in the house would be taken away," police wrote in court record.

"It was only when the victim's wounds became infected and the top of his feet became red that she and Mark decided to call the fire department for medical care," police wrote.

Mark Simmons was arrested on suspicion of two counts of child abuse on July 13 but has since been indicted by a grand jury. His next court appearance is set for 8:15 a.m. Sept. 13.

Sarah Simmons was booked into jail Thursday on suspicion of child abuse. Police said in court records that, prior to the latest incident, she has been the subject of approximately 30 Arizona Department of Child Safety reports. Her next court appearance is set for 8:30 a.m. August 11 in Maricopa County Superior Court.