Dad escapes child abuse charges in beating of 8-year-old son (Coral Gables, Florida)

Yup, the State of Florida is sure tough on child abusers. Dad LOSCAR RODRIQUEZ beat his 8-year-old son so badly that the child had welts and bruises and couldn't even sit. But that's just "discipline," the prosecutor says.

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami-dade/story/1204544.html

Coral Gables dad escapes child abuse charge

Drawing a line between discipline and abuse, Miami-Dade prosecutors on Wednesday dropped a felony child abuse charge against a Coral Gables father who hit his 8-year-old son with a belt in October 2007, causing welts and bruises.

Loscar Rodriguez, 32, had faced up to 364 days in jail if convicted.

But prosecutors said their case proved weaker than expected when during a deposition, the child revealed his father gave him more homework as punishment after the beating, and the next day he ``was involved in normal activities . . . including PE class.''

``In light of the additional facts testified to by [the son], the conduct of the defendant is aligned with discipline as opposed to child abuse,'' prosecutor Suzanne Bell wrote in her memo.