A 7-year-old boy allegedly ended up bleeding and bruised after an Indiana man tried to punish him for swearing. And now, the man is facing a criminal charge.
According to People and others on Tuesday, Daniel Schergen (pictured above, in his mugshot) has been charged with domestic battery on a person younger than 14 following an incident that reportedly unfolded inside a car in late August.
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Court documents reviewed by the outlet describe Schergen driving with his girlfriend, the boy, and three other children. Schergen told investigators that after dropping one child at football practice, the group was heading to Dunkin‘ when the 7-year-old began hitting another child. He claimed he reached toward the back seat to intervene, at which point the boy called him a “motherf**ker.”
Uh, what?!
But!!! Instead of leaving it there, Schergen allegedly stopped at a Dollar General and asked his girlfriend to purchase a bar of soap. The alleged plan was, well, to wash the boy’s mouth out.
Per the affidavit, the child resisted when Schergen tried to put the soap in his mouth. During the attempt, the boy was reportedly struck in the forehead, leaving a cut that bled. The affidavit also described redness on the right side of his face and bruising on his ear.
WTF…
Schergen’s girlfriend reportedly cleaned the forehead wound and gave the child first aid. As for the other injuries, Schergen told investigators he didn’t know how the boy’s ear became bruised, and he supposedly suggested the facial redness might have come from pressing the child’s head against the leather car seat.
According to the court docs, Schergen also said the boy had been suspended from school for hitting other children and had a temper. So, he reportedly said that he believed that called for a different kind of punishment.
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The case has now moved into the court system. People reports Schergen was released on a $750 bond, with his next hearing scheduled for January 6.
Meanwhile, LaPorte County Prosecutor Sean Fagan stressed that Schergen is “innocent until proven guilty or admits guilt” and declined to discuss the ongoing case further.
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If you have sincere cause to suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org.
[Image via La Porte County Sheriff’s Office]