Posted on 04/30/2005 6:19:34 AM PDT by holymoly
PLYMOUTH - A father who used a belt to spank his 12-year-old son over forgotten homework is facing a felony assault charge and an investigation by the state Department of Social Services.
Charles S. Enloe, 42, of 4 Cortelli Court, Plymouth, hit his son on the buttocks three times with a belt after the boy forgot his homework assignment at school, police said.
He was charged with assault with a deadly weapon.
Enloe said he was surprised at his arrest, but that he doesn't blame police for doing their job.
‘‘I never knew it would be considered assault with a deadly weapon,'' Enloe said. ‘‘And it shouldn't be. It shouldn't be a crime if it's discipline. I know there are parents out there that abuse their children, but I'm definitely not one of them. But police have to follow the letter of the law. My father was a police officer. I'm not angry at them, and I don't blame my son.''
Enloe said he hopes the courts will dismiss the charge after reviewing the facts. ‘‘I have no previous record,'' he said.
He said his son is still living with him despite the incident. He and the boy's mother are divorced, according to the police.
The mother obtained a restraining order against Enloe on her son's behalf, but the order was temporary and has expired, he said.
‘‘The incident got blown out of proportion,'' Enloe said.
Police Capt. Michael Botieri said officers have more leeway about arresting a parent for domestic violence when an open hand is used for spanking.
‘‘When a parent uses an instrument to discipline, it makes it more difficult for us,'' Botieri said. ‘‘The belt pushed this over the edge.''
The incident happened at about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, and left no marks or bruises, according to police.
The Department of Social Services is investigating the complaint after its Cape Cod area office received a report of suspected abuse on Friday. DSS spokeswoman Denise Monteiro said the allegation was made by a person or agency required by law to report any suspected incident of child abuse. She would not identify the person.
Police, teachers, health care workers and clergy are all required to report cases of suspected abuse in Massachusetts.
Monteiro said the case is not considered an emergency and said the DSS has up to 10 days to investigate the report. Monteiro said the department usually interviews family members, the child's pediatrician, school officials, neighbors and others. ‘‘The allegations have to be met with evidence,'' she said.
The boy told police his father hit him with the belt for forgetting his homework, and said he would be hit six times wearing just his underwear if he forgot his homework again, police said.
Fearing the promised punishment, the boy called his mother Wednesday when he forgot his homework a second time, police said.
The boy and his mother, Diana Dematteo of Sandwich, reported the incident to police Wednesday.
Enloe told police he used the belt to ‘‘lightly'' strike the boy three times on the bottom for disciplinary reasons.
His son had improved academically since coming to live with him in March and he ‘‘acted out of love,'' the police report quotes Enloe as saying.
Enloe was arrested and charged at the station.
Enloe pleaded innocent Thursday to the charge and was released on his promise to return to court on June 1.
Monteiro, the DSS spokeswoman, said that under the Massachusetts corporal punishment law, it is not illegal for a guardian to strike a child physically or spank a child so long as the child isn't injured or ‘‘left with a bruise, bumps, cuts and you would also consider the frequency of the punishment.''
In 1997, the Rev. Donald Cobble of Woburn found himself thrust into the national spotlight when his then 9-year-old son, Judah, asked a teacher not to send a note home about his school behavior because he feared that Cobble would spank him with a belt, as he had done before.
The teacher contacted social service workers, who found that this form of discipline posed a ‘‘substantial risk of injury.'' But two years and $62,000 in legal fees later, Cobble's name was removed from the state registry of child abusers after the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court exonerated him, saying that Judah suffered only temporary marks as a result of the spanking. The case was closed.
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Man.... if you said that in my wife's family, you'd be lucky to get out with your skin and balls intact.
LOL - so there's more than just me *scarred for life* by the "so disappointed" phrase ?
The funny thing is, it worked so well on me because I have a very vivid imagination and could imagine all sorts of consequences. My sister, on the other hand, had a much harder psyche and could easily resist this type of conscience-raising.
Testosterone Rules; a real man under control is the legal governing authority; "most" real women would respect that. Its the Caeser Milk Toasts out there who refuse to take authority over their families that have created the chaos and the misery! Women who have been forced into this role are emotionally shredded and do tend to over react because they are operating out of their intended comfort zone. Men on the other hand usually think logically and are more calculating in managing stress and critical judgements.
If it wasn't a stun belt, I want the investigating officer and the representative of the state Department of Social Services arrested for felony abuse of government office.
You don't do things like that up there in lib land
Obviously this is a ridiculous case and there should be no charges filed.
However,corporal punishment is not good for every child.I sure got my share of butt whippings as a kid but you know what worked for ME?When mom or dad would TALK to me in a calm intelligent manner about what I did wrong and allow me to have enough sense to correct my behavior myself.
Dialogue does not work for everyone and the belt and the ruler should never be put away for good.Yet for me,corporal punishment just made me angrier and MORE defiant,not less.
Ditto that.
Boomers, like myself, are rolling on the floor at the thought of their dad being a felon. BTY, I never got off as easy as three whacks.
I use to run under the bed when I saw the belt coming
off!!!!!!
Looking back over the replies on this thread, there sure seems to have been a lot of belting going on.
Well I was a little "monster" with a wise a** mouth, so I probebly deserved it.
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