Corbin woman indicted over loaded gun found in children’s toybox

A Knox County mother was indicted Friday on charges stemming from a police welfare check during which deputies reported finding a loaded gun in the children’s toybox, and learned she had threatened to kill her five children on several occasions.

Nina M. Vaughn, 32, of Corbin, is charged with five counts of first-degree wanton endangerment, endangering the welfare of a minor, two counts of fourth-degree assault, five counts of third-degree terroristic threatening.

Knox County Sheriff’s Deputy Williams Stewart, the department’s public affairs officer, stated that on Jan. 1, Deputy Elijah Broughton was dispatched to conduct the welfare check on several children at a residence on Elaine Court, off of Standard Ave.

“While conducting the check, Deputy Broughton learned that a 9-year-old child had ran away from the residence and was found by a family member about one-half mile from the residence walking on the road,” Stewart stated. “The mother Nina Vaughn had never made an attempt to locate her.”

Broughton wrote in the arrest citation that the child told deputies that she ran away because she was afraid Vaughn was going to hurt her.

Stewart stated that deputies found evidence of abuse on the 9-year-old as did a six-year old sibling.

According to the arrest citation, the 9-year-old had marks on her face where she had been grabbed, while the 6-year-old had bruises and red marks where she had been hit.

“Deputy Broughton also learned the mother had threatened to kill the five children on several occasions,” Stewart stated.

“All the children state that the above (Vaughn) is abusive and has assaulted them in the past,” Broughton wrote in the arrest citation.

According to the indictment, the gun was located in the toybox, accessible by the children, ages 2, 6, 9, and 12. Broughton stated in the arrest citation that the gun was a 9mm pistol.

Vaughn was arrested and lodged in the Knox County Detention Center.

Deputies contacted social services and the children were removed from the home.