CRESTVIEW -- A 9-year-old child who had trouble sitting in school due to pain from a beating the day before led investigators to file child cruelty charges against a Crestview man.
The child had deep bruising across the buttocks area and told officials that an adult had hit him with a large, heavy wooden cutting board. The child, and other children in the home, also said they were made to drink hot sauce and stand in the corner for a week when they "were bad," according to the suspect's arrest report.
James John Morrill, who is 34, said the kids only stood in the corner for three to four hours at a time when they were being disciplined, according to his Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office arrest report.
Morrill also said he had "wooped" the child for lying, but couldn't remember what the lie was, the report said. The cutting board measured 12 inches across and weighed nearly two pounds, the report said. The child was hit with it twice.
Another adult confirmed the use of hot sauce as a disciplinary measure, but told deputies that the children were also given milk and bread to reduce the effects. She confirmed the three to four hour time window.
Staff at the Children's Advocacy Center agreed that the injuries suffered were abusive in nature.
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