Mother gets five years probation for spanking son with belt

ktrk ^

[chance33_98]

Mother gets five years probation for spanking son with belt By The Associated Press (5/16/03 - BRYAN, TX) — A Bryan woman has been sentenced to five years probation for reckless injury to a child for beating her 6-year-old son during a spanking.

Jurors convicted Shanetta Richardson, 26, last month of the felony.

Richardson testified she used a leather belt in January 2002 to discipline her son after he ripped his brother's baptism certificate in half. She said she didn't think the punishment was unreasonable.

[justshe]

Lacerations......marks on chest, back and arms.....that is considered 'spanking'?

[lilylangtree]

Lord, that's unreasonable. Remember my dad taking off his mining belt and whipping my siblings because he felt one of them stole $.50 from him. Being the youngest and 4 years old, I hid behind Mom because she knew I had no idea what $.50 was.

[TheLurkerX]

My great-grandmother was practically a saint, and she beat my @ss on more than one occasion with a mulberry switch I had to cut myself. And God forbid I came back with one too small. I can honestly say that I deserved every one of them.

My father used the belt, and my elementary school principal, middle school principal, and high school principal all used a wooden paddle the size of a cricket bat.

They'd all be getting lethal injections right now.

[Tax-chick]

With these details, that sounds WAY over the top, criminally abusive, in fact. Even from the summary it was excessive, especially for the "offense," tearing a certificate in half. Just ask the church for a new certificate, and tell the boy he can't watch videos for a couple of days, because he lied.

He's six years old, fercryinoutloud.

[najida]

THANK YOU!

On the day after the incident, Sul Ross Elementary School employees and Child Protective Services officials found bruises, welts and lacerations across the boy’s arms, legs, chest and back. Some of the marks revealed a distinct pattern of the belt’s cross-stitching.

Yep, that was a beating. Sounds to me like she was outta control.

[GOP_Proud]

I was spanked with a belt (more than I care to admit0 as discipline, but NEVER was their bruising or lacerations.

She went too far.

[TheLurkerX]

True. All over the body is unacceptable. Sounds like he started squirming, and she kept hitting him. What if she'd hit him in the throat?

[Cobra64]

My butt was whipped black and blue for waking up the camp councelor in PA as a 6 year old kid in 1956. Today, there is little accountability for manners or respect. Then again, I was also going to private English schools in Western CT.

[vbmoneyspender]

I'll add hangers to your list.

[Cicero]

Spare the rod and spoil the child. Better to get a few bruises now than start mugging and drug dealing when he's older, and end up in jail.

We still had corporal punishment at the prep school I intended, and on balance it was a good thing.

Now this kid will do whatever the hell he wants, and if his mother even scolds him he'll threaten to call the cops and send her to jail. Nice.

[Cagey]

Give us the facts and THEN we can make up our mind.

I couldn't agree more. And this verdict was decided by a jury who did have all the facts. As the new information now tells us, there were lacerations on his arms, chest, legs and back. This is not a simple case of a few whacks on the kid's backside, it now seems as if she did indeed go over the line with this boy.

From the newest information:
..found bruises, welts and lacerations across the boy’s arms, legs, chest and back. It takes some energy to cause a laceration. Some of the marks revealed a distinct pattern of the belt’s cross-stitching.

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

I won't even comment on the irony that a six year old received a beating from his mother for tearing up a baptism certificate....actually, I guess I just did.

[najida]

When I went through foster parent's training, we told horror stories (complete with pictures) of parents who got outta control with belts, light cords etc.

Granted, we weren't supposed to spank (but we were 'under table' that a firm swat on the bottom was OK)....

I remember something about the fact if you do spank a child, it needs to stay on the bottom because a child's spleen, kidneys, liver could be easily ruptured. Oh, yeah, and never hit in a rage.

[chance33_98]

Thanks for the updated info. Amazing how so many reporters get away without the basics in their works. If nothing else, I hope we continue to find and post moe articles like this - enough people see FR that maybe a few of these 'reporters' will see how lacking their 'reports' are.

[Cagey]

Now this kid will do whatever the hell he wants, and if his mother even scolds him he'll threaten to call the cops and send her to jail. Nice.

You may have missed the rest of the story in post# 20.

[Focault's Pendulum]

We won't even mention the yardstickings meted out by the Bernardine Sisters at St. Paul of the Cross!

Or the Felician Nuns from St. Anthony of Padua, Jersey City.

Those old Polish ladies wielded a mean wooden ruler..they could have given Zorro a run for his money.

[goodieD]

Y'all don't know random spanking utensils til you've been whipped with an old Hot Wheels track....YOUCH!

Like you all, my parents would have been doing some serious time..God rest em both.

[ChemistCat]

I'm just wondering if there's any limit you'll draw on that.

I spank my kids. But I'd be horrified if I bruised one, and I confine it to the butt. That's why God put the padding there.

It's simply not necessary, and it's not discipline, either, to break the skin and leave massive bruising.

[nothingnew]

Now THAT sounds excessive!

Nah, she was a little gal...I just got tired of ducking and tensing my muscles in my arms to absorb the whack, which wasn't much at that. Last time she tried it, I just grabbed her wrist and said "Enough, Mom, it doesn't hurt anyways!"...God rest her soul...

FMCDH