Florida man berated, physically abused child for nearly 30 minutes over missing couch cushion: deputies
A Florida man was arrested on child abuse allegations over accusations that he allegedly screamed obscenities and physically abused a child for about half an hour over a missing couch cushion, according to officials.
Lance Rachel Sr., 42, was charged with aggravated child abuse and battery by strangulation. He was booked into the Osceola County Jail.
The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office said the incident happened on Dec. 7 at a home in Kissimmee, Florida, but that it was not reported until days later.
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The sheriff's office opened an investigation into the incident on Dec. 11.
Rachel Sr. was angry because a couch cushion had been displaced and accused the child of lying, according to the sheriff's office.
The suspect "maliciously" punished the child by screaming obscenities and physically abusing the child for 28 minutes, the sheriff's office said.
Deputies said the victim was struck with a belt more than 50 times and was choked and called several disparaging names and other obscenities.
At one point, the suspect threatened to break the child's jaw, according to deputies.
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Some of the event was captured on in-home surveillance cameras, deputies said.
On Dec. 16, deputies interviewed Kimberly Rachel, 35, who confirmed the incident happened. She was arrested and charged with failure to report known child abuse.