Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
- A Salt Lake man and his mother are both facing aggravated child abuse charges.
- The man allegedly whipped his 14-year-old brother with a computer cord.
- The mother is accused of allowing the alleged abuse, calling it discipline.
SALT LAKE CITY — A Salt Lake man is facing criminal charges accusing him of physically abusing his teen brother by whipping him with a computer cord while forcing him to do handstands. And their mother is charged with allowing it to happen.
The 20-year-old man and 48-year-old mother are each charged in 3rd District Court with aggravated child abuse and child abuse, second-degree felonies. KSL.com is not naming the defendants at this time to protect the identity of the child.
A 14-year-old boy recently arrived home from school and began arguing with his brother. The brother then made the teen "strip to his underwear and put his legs on the wall in a handstand. (He) then grabbed two wire chargers and started hitting him," according to charging documents.
The teen was also punched and kicked, police say. The boy then attempted to lock himself in the bathroom, but his brother was able to get in and again forced the teen to "get into the handstand position and began punching and kicking him," according to the charges, and then "grabbed the wire charger and started hitting him on his back."
The boy was taken to a local hospital to be treated for injuries. When questioned by police, the teen said this kind of abuse had happened multiple times.
"It's basically the same thing, but I just keep letting it slide. So he keeps doing it over and over and over," the boy said, according to the charges, while adding that he has been forced to do handstands while being beaten with a computer charger in the past.
When officers went to the home to talk to the mother, she said that the older son "was beating him, he was just trying to discipline him," the charges state.
The older son admitted he confronted his brother and made "him get into an incline push-up position in the living room by elevating his feet against a wall as a form of discipline," the charges say. He also allegedly admitted to police that the blood on his pants was from his brother.
The older son also told police his mother relies on him to "enforce discipline," and whipping is "the traditional normal thing to discipline," according to the charges.
Although the mother did not touch her teen son in this case, she "knew how (her older son) was disciplining him and did nothing to stop him. (She) did not respond to the hospital when the victim was taken there for treatment of his injuries. Additionally, when officers returned to the home with the victim, (the mother) asked officers to 'forgive' (her older son) and release him from custody," the charges state.
The older son was investigated for another incident of child abuse in 2023 in which he allegedly held a knife to another sibling and forced him to do a handstand while whipping him with a computer charger, court documents state.
"(The mother) has previously been provided with resources from the state and was informed that the act of whipping a child with a cord was not an appropriate course of action when trying to punish a child, despite cultural differences. However, two years after the 2023 incident, (she) has continued to allow a whipping-style punishment to be enacted upon her minor children, with no regard for their health or safety," prosecutors wrote in the court documents.
Child abuse resources:
- Utah Domestic Violence Coalition operates a confidential statewide, 24-hour domestic abuse hotline at 1-800-897-LINK (5465). Resources are also available online: udvc.org. The statewide child abuse and neglect hotline is 1-855-323-DCFS (3237).
- The Utah Division of Child and Family Services offers counseling, teaches parenting skills and conflict resolution and can connect families with community resources. Its goal is to keep children with their family when it is "possible and safe." Visit dcfs.utah.gov/contact-us/ or call 801-538-4100.
- The Christmas Box House acts as a temporary shelter for children and can provide them with new clothing and shoes, among other services. Call the Salt Lake office at 801-747-2201 or the Ogden office at 801-866-0350.
