Kentucky woman arrested in Henry County for child abuse

HENRY COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — Nearly two months after a man was charged with child sex crimes in Kentucky as a result of a report filed with Middle Tennessee law enforcement, the same investigation led Kentucky authorities to arrest a woman in Middle Tennessee for child abuse.

Officials said someone reported a sexual assault that happened in McCracken County, Kentucky, to the Benton County Sheriff’s Office in Tennessee. The Benton County Sheriff’s Office contacted the McCracken County Sheriff’s Office about the incident on Dec. 8, 2024.

According to authorities, a man reported that his two daughters said they were sexually assaulted while visiting a McCracken County home.

The McCracken County Sheriff’s Office announced on Dec. 13, 2024, that 30-year-old Gregory Scheffer was taken into custody outside a home in Paducah, Kentucky, after investigators determined the girls — both of whom were under the age of 12 — had been sexually assaulted multiple times, as well as “subjected to extreme ‘punishments.'” Gregory was charged with sodomy, rape, sexual abuse, criminal abuse, and incest, all against a victim under 12 years old.

As the investigation continued, law enforcement said they learned Darian Scheffer, 27, of Paducah, left her children alone with Gregory for extended periods of time. The kids reportedly told Darian about physical abuse occurring in the home, but she continued to leave the children with Gregory.

As a result, the McCracken County Sheriff’s Office said Darian was arrested in Henry County, Tennessee, on Wednesday, Feb. 5, with the assistance of the Henry County Sheriff’s Office. She has been charged with three counts of second-degree criminal abuse of a child age 12 or under.

No additional details have been released about this investigation.