SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – The state attorney’s office in Seminole County will not pursue charges against a stepfather seen on video discipling a young girl that Sanford police described as a “disturbing interaction.”
The Sanford Police Department last week shared a statement on social media, saying it was aware of the “disturbing interaction” that went viral online and that it had sent the video to the state attorney’s office for review.
The 18th Judicial Circuit said in part that “a parent is allowed to use corporal punishment to discipline their child.”
According to the state attorney’s office, the stepfather was disciplining the girl for misbehavior in the car on their way to Sanford, where the incident was captured from a home’s security camera.
[WATCH BELOW: Sanford leaders discuss how to fund new water treatment plant]
The girl’s aunt, Leondra Chapman, posted the video online and shared it with News 6.
“My niece is standing behind my grandma’s car and he yokes her up, grabs her by her hood, and slams down on the car,” Chapman said as she watched with the video alongside our News 6 team.
Another clip shows the man reaching for the 9-year-old girl again.
“Slaps her in the face, and then the back of the head,” Chapman said. “Her older sister tries to help her, but he tells her to let her go.”
Chapman said the man can also be heard cussing at the child and making threats. She said her original video was viewed 3.7 million times before it was taken down.
The state attorney’s office said, “For the foregoing reasons, the state is unable to file charges in this case as the facts do not support the filing of child abuse.”