‘Overwhelmed’ Local Mom Defends Hitting Kids With Belt
On Tuesday, police in Saratoga county arrested a 25-year-old woman charged for allegedly beating two of her boyfriend's children, ages 9 and a 4, with a belt. She and her boyfriend claim that they were simply "disciplining their children". The police felt it was far too excessive. What are your thoughts on using force to discipline your child let alone someone elses?
This was a very controversial topic throughout social media yesterday and it will continue today as News10 ABC reports that Ashley Abbott of Milton, with her suppotive boyfriend by her side, defended the actions saying that she was 'overhwelmed' when she used the belt as discipline and that most of the marks left behind were from "horeseplay". She insists that the marks left on her boyfriend's 4 year old were the result of the child covering up her butt while striking the child, causing the red mark on the arm. Abbott admitted she was overwhelmed and that the kids were hitting, biting each other. It was utter chaos, she says.
“So I told them if they didn’t stop that I was going to spank them with the belt. They continued to fight with one another. So, I took out the belt and I spanked them each once.”
One investigator says that using any instrument of punishment such as a belt could land you in jail. Abbott was charged with child endangerment and felony assault in the second.