Florida man beat child for nearly 30 minutes over missing couch cushion, deputies say
A Florida couple is facing child abuse charges after local authorities say the man beat a child for nearly half an hour and his wife failed to help the boy.
The incident happened on Dec. 7 in Kissimmee and was partially captured on the family’s surveillance cameras, according to the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office in central Florida.
Someone told the Department of Children and Families and law enforcement about the incident on Dec. 11, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
According to authorities, the man, Lance Rachel, was angry about a couch cushion that had been moved in the family’s home, then he accused a boy in the home of lying about it. He cursed at the boy and physically abused him for 28 minutes, authorities said, adding that he beat the child over 50 times with a belt.
“He was also choked and called several disparaging names and other obscenities,” the sheriff’s office wrote in the news release.
Man threatened to break boy’s jaw, sheriff says
At least once during the incident, Rachel told the boy he would break his jaw, the sheriff’s department said.
Detectives interviewed Rachel Monday and he confirmed that the incident happened, the sheriff’s department said in the news release.
Rachel, 42, was charged with aggravated child abuse and battery by strangulation, according to online court records.
His wife, 35-year-old Kimberly Rachel, was arrested for failure to report known child abuse, the sheriff’s office said in the news release.
Video shared with the news release showed the two being escorted away from a home in police custody.
“Corporal punishment on your child is one thing but child abuse and going too far is against the law,” said Sheriff Marcos R. Lopez in the video.
The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office said anyone with information on the case can call the office at (407) 348-2222.
Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY’s NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Follow her on Twitter at @SaleenMartin or email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Florida man accused of beating child over missing couch cushion
