Arrest highlights how abuse is reported
When discipline crosses a line, agencies spring to action
Staff writer
An arrest Sunday of a Tampa man accused of disciplining his child too severely has highlighted concern over corporal punishment.
A deputy was sent to a home near Tampa about 6:20 p.m. Aug. 23, undersheriff Larry Starkey said.
A child, older than 6 but younger than 18, suffered minor injuries that did not require medical treatment, Starkey said.
The incident involved disciplinary action by the child’s father, Sheriff Jeff Soyez said.
Bryan L. Thomas was arrested on suspicion of battery and abuse of a child.
“Inhuman corporal punishment” wording listed with the child abuse allegation comes from statute rather than investigators’ description of the incident, Starkey and Soyez said.
“It wasn’t anything like weird or off the wall or over the top or anything,” Starkey said. “It just got a little bit out of hand, a little bit further than it should have.”
Soyez drew the line between parental discipline and an adult striking a child with the force he might use against another adult.
“I would be very comfortable with the fact that grown adults should not strike children like grown adults,” Soyez said.
Thomas was released from jail 20½ hours later without bond.
Although details of the incident were not released, the case came to deputies through Hillsboro Middle School because of other issues of which the school was aware, Starkey said. The case also was referred to the Kansas Department for Children and Families, he said.
Duty to report
Every Hillsboro school employee is a mandated reporter, superintendent Clint Corby said.
Employees receive annual training. Suspected abuse can prompt a DCF report or a request for law enforcement to conduct a welfare check, Corby said.
“It’s not our job as school employees to do the investigative [work] and look for patterns,” Corby said. “That’s up to DCF and police. We just, if something’s reportable, we have to report it.”
Heart to Heart Child Advocacy Center serves Marion County children and families after allegations of abuse.
It receives an average of about 15 Marion County cases a year, although the number varies, executive director Veronica Mosqueda said.
After a report, law enforcement officers typically gather basic information before referring a child to Heart to Heart for advocacy, forensic interviews, and other services, Mosqueda said.
Adults who hear about an incident should not investigate it themselves, she said.
Asking too many questions can lead to leading questions, put words in a child’s mouth, and complicate an investigation. The adult instead should remain someone the child trusts and leave the investigation to trained professionals, Mosqueda said.
Repeated questioning also can re-traumatize children and cause details of their accounts to change or be lost, she said. Forensic interviews allow children to tell their stories once in a child-friendly setting.
Warning signs
Educators can be particularly well positioned to recognize trouble because they know children’s normal behavior, Mosqueda said.
Withdrawal, falling grades, loss of interest in friends or sports, rocking, hair pulling, and biting fingertips can be warning signs, she said.
More often, children simply tell adults they trust that someone is hurting them, Mosqueda said.
The adult should tell the child, “I believe you,” offer help and report the disclosure to DCF or law enforcement, she said.
Adults should continue reporting concerns even when they seem minor.
“It doesn’t matter how little it is, because you don’t know what that really means,” Mosqueda said.
Child abuse is not always as clear-cut as people expect. Sometimes concerns involve parenting styles or families that need resources and education before situations worsen, Mosqueda said.
“There’s so much gray area to it,” she said.
Rural resources
A persistent obstacle is the belief that abuse “just doesn’t happen here,” Mosqueda said.
“Child abuse is scary, and it’s unknown,” she said.
Heart to Heart tries to overcome that stigma by talking openly about abuse and emphasizing that its goal is to help, not get people in trouble, Mosqueda said.
Small police departments also might not have dedicated child-abuse investigators. Heart to Heart provides education and training so rural agencies with limited budgets still have access to specialized practices, Mosqueda said.
The center has agreements with Marion County police departments, whose officers can participate in training and multidisciplinary meetings, she said.
Heart to Heart also offers free mandated-reporter training to professionals and community members. Training covers state law, warning signs, case studies, and roles people play after suspected abuse is reported.
After a report
Heart to Heart assigns advocates to referred families. They can help families through interviews and court proceedings and connect them with counseling and medical care. Advocates remain available as long as needed, Mosqueda said.
Asked what protections can exist when someone accused of abusing a child is released from jail, Mosqueda said no-contact or other protective provisions often were included in bond conditions.
Families also can seek protection orders when an investigation or arrest takes longer, she said.
People sometimes believe nothing happened after they reported suspected abuse because they never hear what became of it, Mosqueda said.
Juvenile confidentiality prevents DCF, law enforcement, schools, and Heart to Heart from publicly discussing much of what happens afterward, she said.
Hillsboro schools try to provide students a safe, supportive place after reports are made, Corby said.