A Baton Rouge mother was jailed for beating her children, who were caught robbing a store. The mother, Schaquana Spears, has become a national hero for some and a real child abuser for others.
Thousands, who have read the story of a Baton Rouge mother who was jailed for “whupping” her children’s butt for getting in serious trouble, are wondering if the police were wrong or right?
On Monday, Schaquana Spears, a mom of six whose boyfriend is in jail, was arrested. Her arrest came hours after authorities in Louisiana learned that she had beaten three of her boys to the point that they had bleeding bruises on their skin.
The 30-year-old single mother from Baton Rouge punished her three kids aged 10, 12, and 13 when she learned that they were living a life of crime. The three brothers broke into a neighbor’s home. The mother, who confessed to physically harming the boys, was arrested and charged with cruelty to juveniles.
East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore said the trio was interrogated, and this is what they revealed to the authorities:
“The 13-year-old and 10-year-old told detectives they were whipped with an RCA cord, and the 12-year-old said he was whipped with a belt. The 13-year-old admitted to breaking into someone’s residence. The eldest son had lacerations to both his arms and linear marks on his leg, shoulder, back and stomach. The 12-year-old had lacerations to his left arm that did break his skin, and the 10-year-old had a small scratch on his hand.”
Moore explained that the mom has posted bail and is free. He went on to say that he will be reviewing all of the evidence presented in the case before deciding whether or not formally to file criminal charges against the Baton Rouge woman. He explained:
“Parents have the right and obligation to discipline and teach their children. We often time 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.”
While talking to local media, the mother wept as she tried to explain her actions. She shared:
“They made me look like a bad guy for trying to discipline my kids and showing them right from wrong. It’s been hell. I never could imagine that trying to be a good mother would end me up in jail with a criminal record like I’m a predator out to hurt my kids who I live for.”
Spears’ neighbor, Alisa Nicholson, who was burglarized, also spoke out saying that she feels sorry for the mom, who was doing the best she can to keep her children out of prison or from getting killed by other criminals or by the police. Nicholson said:
“Her kids broke into a house that they could’ve got killed at, or the police could’ve seen them going in and shot them. And I feel so bad that all this had to happen from her whooping her kids for them breaking them into someone’s home –- which is very dangerous, especially these days.”
The District Attorney added:
“The degree of physical discipline will be reviewed. The law does not allow excessive pain or cruelty but does allow physical parental discipline. I only have the short synopsis which does indicate that the discipline resulted in marks on the child’s body and possibly an open wound. I will review all of the reports; meet with the DCFS office and review any history of this mother and her children to get a better picture of the entire family dynamics before making a decision.”
The story has gone viral with some people saying that sometimes a child needs to get a switch or discover the back of their father’s belt when they screw up. Others are calling the mother a child abuser, who deserves to go to jail.
