PLATTE CITY, Mo. — A Platte City, Mo., father was arrested for spanking his 11-year-old son as punishment for going to Sonic.
According to Platte County Prosecutor Eric Zahnd, the father spanked his son so many times with an open hand that it left bruising on his son’s buttocks. According to police records, a police photograph of the boy’s injuries revealed bruising in the shape of finger prints.
Court documents said the boy notified a school counselor of the beating the following day on Aug. 26. The boy showed the counselor a picture of his injuries he took with his cell phone and said it hurt to sit down. Police were called and the boy told officers that around 10 p.m. the night before, his father became angry after he had forgotten to tell his father he went to Sonic with his cousin and a friend. The boy told police his father grabbed him by the throat, picked him up and threw him on his bed and began spanking him.
According to court documents, the boy told police he counted at least 20 strikes before he stopped counting. Police then photographed the boy’s injuries and noted the imprint of individual finger marks.
Police later arrested the boy’s father, and during questioning, the boy’s father admitted to spanking his son, but did not consider his actions to be abusive. When police showed the man photos of his son’s injuries, police said the man was “very much so” surprised and stated he found the photos shocking.
The man was taken into custody and transported to the Platte County Jail.
No other information was immediately available.