Police: Orlando woman uses stun gun to discipline child

Witness tells authorities woman routinely abused children

ORLANDO, Fla. – An Orlando woman was arrested on suspicion of using a stun gun to discipline her child.

Melissa Maria Neale, 34, was arrested Thursday on charges of aggravated child abuse.  She was released from jail after posting $2,500 bail late Friday.

According to an arrest affidavit, Neale and her children, whose ages are not known, had been staying with an unidentified woman for about three weeks before the woman called authorities.

The woman told authorities she had routinely seen Neale discipline her children by slapping them in the face, punching them in the back of the head and pulling them by their hair around the room.

The woman said she became alarmed last Sunday when she saw Neale use a stun gun on one of the children after Neale claimed her oatmeal wasn't made correctly.

The child suffered burns on the knee, the arrest report said.

The witness called the sheriff's office on Thursday when she found a note on the child's dresser saying the child "didn't want to live anymore."

Neale told investigators the mark of the child's knee was from a paddling with a spoon and denied using a stun gun.

The stun gun was confiscated by deputies and Neale was taken into custody.

Local 6 has learned that Neale had recently moved back to Central Florida from Harker Heights, Texas, near Killeen.

Neale's children have been placed with relatives by the Department of Children and Families.


About the Author:

Erik Sandoval joined the News 6 team as a reporter in May 2013 and became an Investigator in 2020. During his time at News 6, Erik has covered several major stories, including the 2016 Presidential campaign. He was also one of the first reporters live on the air at the Pulse Nightclub shooting.

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