A Baton Rouge woman was arrested after she admitted to whipping her sons as punishment for breaking into a house.
Schaquana Spears, 30, was booked on child cruelty charges Monday morning.
According to the arrest report, Spears’ 13-year-old reportedly told detectives that Spears had struck him with a cable cord. Investigators say the boy had cuts on his arms and marks across his body. The other two boys, ages 10 and 12 also had injuries.
Spears was booked on two counts of cruelty to juveniles. Her bond was set at $2,500.
“Parents have the right and obligation to discipline and teach their children,” District Attorney Hillar Moore said in a statement. “We often see children who have no parental authority or discipline which eventually results in delinquency and criminal acts. We need more parents who discipline their children. Surely you would expect a parent to discipline a child who is burglarizing other people’s homes as this could be a deadly encounter for the child.”
Moore said his office is working with the juvenile court to ensure the clearing of all charges against Spears related to the incident.
On Tuesday, someone saw Spears’ story on TV and showed up to post her bond for her. She told WBRZ she thought she was doing the right thing.
“They’re just being kids, being followers,” Spears said. “I thought I was showing them this is not what you do. You do not steal people’s stuff, what they work hard for. I know how that feels, I’ve had my house broken into.”
