By Elliott Jones

FORT PIERCE — A 31-year-old man didn’t see anything wrong with what he described as a “butt whopping” of a misbehaving boy, according to an arrest affidavit.

David Taylor, of the 500 block of Mades Drive, Fort Pierce, told investigating officers Monday that a school called him several times, complaining about the boy fighting at the Samuel Gaines Academy.

In response, Taylor took off his black belt and struck the youth seven times, leaving bruises on the boy’s arms, upper thighs, left leg and lower back, according to the arrest report.

When the boy showed up at the K-8 school, the staff called the Florida Department of Children and Families. Police quoted the boy as saying Taylor told him to wear a long-sleeve shirt to cover the injuries.

When the student rolled back the sleeves, his arms were covered in long bruises that Taylor said were from the boy putting his arms down when being punished with the belt, the report stated.

Some of the bruises to the body were dark purple or red and there was broken skin on one back bruise.

The boy said it was the first time he had been punished by being hit with a belt.

Police arrested Taylor at his home on Monday. At the St. Lucie County Jail, “he (Taylor) could not believe all of this was over a butt whopping and continually laughed about the situation,” according to the arrest affidavit. He is charged with child cruelty without great harm.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 7th, 2012 at 5:36 pm and is filed under Crime, Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.