A man was sentenced yesterday for going overboard in disciplining his daughter.
The man whose name we’re withholding to protect the identity of his juvenile daughter, pled guilty to private peace disturbance and prosecutor Assistant Attorney General Jedidiah Bigelow recommended that he be placed on six months probation.
In explaining the incident that led to him being charged, the defendant said he was angry with his daughter because she left the house when she was under a court order not to leave their house without supervision.
Because she disobeyed the court order, her father threatened to beat her up with a stick.
The defendant said, “I did what I saw fit because I wanted to help my daughter, even if that meant to ‘sasa’ her so she could better her ways.”
The daughter was recently released from the Juvenile Detention Center and placed under her parents’ custody.
The prosecution informed the court that responding officers said there was alcohol in the defendant’s system at the time of the incident.
District Court Judge Fiti Sunia told the defendant the court appreciates he’s trying to help enforce the court order for his daughter and being responsible her welfare, but does not mean he could break the law along the way.
Judge Sunia ordered the defendant to take anger management and alcohol counseling at Catholic Social Services.
The defendant was given a suspended 7 day sentence and was placed on probation for 9 months.
