ELYRIA — A man was arrested for “whooping” misbehaving children — the problem was that they weren’t his own, police said.
Antonio Jenkins was arrested at 11:08 p.m. Thursday at his home in the 1100 block of Melvyn Lane.
A woman told police her children, ages 4 and 6, were at a birthday party at Jenkins’s home when they came home that day crying that they had been beaten with a belt.
The children reportedly had bruises on their back and stomach areas. They told their mother that a man named “Tony” had made the marks.
The woman then sent several text messages to Jenkins in which Jenkins said her children were swearing and throwing rocks at his home, so he punished them with a belt.
Lt. Chris Costantino said the woman and Jenkins were acquaintances, but he did not believe they were related.
Police said the 4-year-old had visible injuries, but the other child did not. Those injuries were photographed as evidence.
Jenkins admitted to “whooping” the children, who were misbehaving, according to a police report.
Jenkins was arrested and charged with two counts of assault. He was later released on a summons to appear in court. He has a prior conviction for burglary and assault in 2008, according to court documents.
Costantino said the incident could have been handled in a better way.
“Probably a better course of action would have been to call the mom,” he said.
Recent Comments