Three family members accused of child abuse tracked down, arrested at hotel on Oregon coast

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A Sunriver family accused of abusing a child were arrested Friday at a hotel on the Oregon coast, where they were hiding out from authorities, officials said.

Sarah Marie Session, 33, and her parents, Gary and Paula Hardenburg, 65 and 60, face a combined total of 28 charges related to child abuse – including, for Session, second-degree attempted murder, court records show.

Session, who is a licensed teacher in Oregon, hit a preteen child in her care with curtain rods and a doorstopper and forced the child to eat vomit, according to the indictment. She also allegedly withheld food and medical care from the child, according to the indictment.

Along with the second-degree attempted murder charge, she was indicted for first-degree assault, two counts of second-degree assault, five counts of third-degree assault, eight counts of first-degree criminal mistreatment and two counts of coercion, court records state.



A divorce petition filed by Session in 2022 shows that she has two children, as well as a step-child.

Session and her parents were indicted on Tuesday following an investigation by the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, officials say.

Session’s mother, Paula Hardenburg, faces charges of second-degree assault and first and second-degree criminal mistreatment of the child, as well as tampering with physical evidence, court records show. Session’s father, Gary Hardenburg, also faces charges of evidence tampering, as well as charges of first and second-degree criminal mistreatment.

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