LOGAN — A 31-year-old Smithfield woman was arrested after her two sons told investigators she pointed a loaded gun at them, choked them and laced their food with alcohol. The incidents reportedly occurred in August 2025.
Stalee Brenda Tucker was booked into the Cache County Jail on June 4 following an investigation by the Smithfield Police Department. The investigation was sparked in February when a Division of Child and Family Services caseworker reported new allegations related to a previous child abuse and neglect case.
According to a probable cause affidavit, the boys underwent forensic interviews at the Children’s Justice Center on Feb. 25. The victims described a severe pattern of physical and emotional abuse.
One of the boys told investigators Tucker hit his head against a wall, choked him and beat both siblings with wooden spoons until they were covered in purple and black bruises. He stated they were frequently either “locked in their rooms or being beat”. The children’s grandmother corroborated the abuse, telling police she witnessed Tucker twisting one child’s arm and tying their bedroom door handles shut from the outside with a vacuum cord.
The affidavit details multiple instances where Tucker allegedly threatened the children with a firearm. One victim reported she loaded the weapon in front of him, pointed it at him and said, “I’m going to kill you I hate you,” before grabbing him by the neck and shoving him into a bookshelf. The second victim recounted crying and begging his mother to stop as he saw her pulling the trigger back on the gun.
In addition to physical violence, the children accused Tucker of emotional manipulation. They reported she would eat strawberries and popsicles and force herself to vomit to simulate bleeding, and would fake pregnancies and miscarriages, blaming the boys for “killing the baby”.
The boys also told police Tucker would pour vodka into their meals, which made their stomachs hurt and caused them to feel dizzy.
During police questioning, Tucker denied all allegations made against her.
Tucker made an initial appearance Friday in Logan’s 1st District Court. She was charged with four counts of aggravated child abuse, a first-degree felony.
Judge Brian Cannell set Tucker’s bail at $5,000 and ordered her to appear again in court June 29. She has already been ordered to have no contact with the alleged victims.
Individuals arrested and charged in complaints are presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.