Del City mother arrested, denies child abuse claims: ‘I hold on to my kids, I’m nothing without my kids’

A doorbell camera captured police at a Del City home where they arrested a mother accused of child abuse.

The alleged victim, a teenager, claimed she was whipped, burned, and forced to drink dish soap.

The child’s mother sat down with News 9 to share her side.

Sheena Johnson, a mother of four, claims she’s never abused any of her children. She says for the past two years her child has been troubled--oftentimes acting out and lying.

“She wants to have her way and it's her way or no way,” said the child’s mother Sheena Johnson.     

After several days of turmoil, Johnson says her daughter made false claims about her to classmates.

“Said I was supposed to kick her out between 6:00 and 7:00 that night, that I call her the 'b-word.'”  

As a result of those claims, Johnson says Child Protective Services responded to her house and then left.

“They did an interview with all of my kids, with her separately by herself, and me, everything checked out,” said Johnson.

Days later, Johnson says her child continued to make false allegations and later told school officials her mother was abusing her. The child claimed her mother beat her with electrical cords and hit her with a rubber mallet.

The allegations triggered a police response and a search of Johnson’s home on Jan. 17.

Police: Del City Police Department! Come to the door! Search warrant!

Johnson arrived home and was arrested on her front lawn.

“When we pulled up there were about 12 to 16 Del City police officers,” said Johnson.

Hospital officials told police that Johnson's daughter had injuries consistent with abuse.

“It’s obvious my child is acting out,” said Johnson.

Johnson denied harming her daughter but admitted to handcuffing her to prevent the child from running away--something she claims her daughter had done before.

“That’s where the handcuffs came from, when my mom couldn’t watch her, so I brought her back here. So she wouldn’t take off I had her at the refrigerator,” said Johnson.

In 2023, Johnson's eldest son was murdered while working at an Edmond restaurant. Since then, Johnson says she’s held her children even tighter.

“I hold on to my kids, I’m nothing without my kids,” said Johnson.

She says she wants her daughter to do the right thing.

“I want her to tell the truth, I want her to understand she’s not going to be in trouble if she tells the truth,” said Johnson.

A police officer said he did observe burn marks on the child in various stages of healing,

Police also said Johnson's other children told investigators they had not been abused, and they corroborated their sibling’s allegations.

Johnson has not been charged.

News 9 reached out to the Oklahoma Department of Human Services. A spokesperson said the department could not comment on this specific case.