An Ardmore mother charged with felony child abuse and her boyfriend have asked the court to let a jury decide their case in September.

Melinda Leigh Barnes, 30, and Kevin Bruce Bennett, 32, both of 29775 Elkwood Section Road, will stand trial at 9 a.m. Sept. 21 before Circuit Judge Bob Baker, records show.

The two are accused of spanking her 6-year-old daughter so severely it left bruises on her buttocks and legs, an official said.

Barnes and Bennett have pleaded innocent to the charges.

They were initially arrested and charged Sept. 10. A grand jury formally charged them in November.

An Ardmore schoolteacher first detected what she believed was abuse when the girl kept fidgeting in her seat at school and asked the girl if something was wrong, Limestone County Sheriff’s Chief Investigator Stanley McNatt said after their initial arrest.

“The girl wouldn’t complete her supper meals, so they spanked her and made her sit at the table, sometimes for eight hours at a time,” McNatt said. “The bruising was pretty bad.”

The teacher reported the bruising to the Department of Human Resources, which reported it to the Sheriff’s Department Aug. 31.

Limestone Sheriff’s Investigator Leslie Ramsey determined charges were warranted.

“Investigator Ramsey interviewed the 6-year-old and found she indeed had severe bruising on her buttocks and legs,” McNatt said. “The boyfriend had spanked her and also her mother said she had spanked her.”

The child was removed from the home and placed with the DHR, McNatt said after their initial arrest.

Barnes and Bennett are free on bond.