Dad arrested for beating 7-year-old daughter with a belt (Bartlesville, Oklahoma)

Note to reporter: when somebody hits somebody hard enough to leave a 6-inch by 1-inch bruise on their spine (among other injuries), we're not talking about a quick swat to the rear or a "spanking". We're talking about a beating. So let's use language clearly, shall we? And what was the supposed crime that justified this action? "Eating chocolate"? Then I suppose a lot of us (including myself) should get beaten every couple of days? What utter nonsense. I can't believe people would try to defend this @$$wipe.

http://www.examiner-enterprise.com/articles/2010/04/15/news/news812.txt

Spanking results in arrest of Bartlesville man
By Tim Hudson E-E County Reporter
Thursday, April 15, 2010 12:13 PM CDT

A Bartlesville man is free on $2,500 bond after his arrest for allegedly abusing a 7-year-old girl Wednesday.

Timothy Jacob James May, 33, faces a single charge of child abuse as a result of the incident.

The case is one of several filed in recent months involving an adult spanking a child.

According to the case’s probable cause affidavit, police received a report from a local elementary school on April 13 that a child had been abused by her father. The report stated that the child’s teacher had noticed a bruise on the child’s back, and when she inquired as to where she got it, the girl reportedly said that her father had spanked her with a belt. The child reportedly refused to talk about the matter further.

When police interviewed the victim, she reportedly told them that on the previous afternoon, she and her sister had gotten into trouble for “eating chocolate” and that May had spanked her with a belt.

The affidavit states that the girl had a horizontal 6-inch-long and one -inch-wide bruise that “started from the spine and went to her right flank” and another bruise under her pants. Reportedly, “the outline of the belt was clearly visible and distinctive.”

When interviewed, May reportedly told police that he had spanked the children and when he spanked the victim, “she fell to the floor as he was swinging” and that he “caught her in the back instead of the bottom,” the affidavit states. He further said that he was angry and “probably used too much force than he normally would have.”

According the report, May was very remorseful and was “very forthright and honest” when interviewed by authorities.

According to officials with the 11th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, spanking a child is not illegal. However, charges may be filed if injuries are incurred as a result of the spanking.