x
Breaking News
More () »

Police: Pea Ridge Girl Beaten With Spatula, Forced To Sleep On Floor

PEA RIDGE (KFSM) — A Pea Ridge man is accused of beating his step-daughter with a spatula, a wooden spoon, and a stick covered in thorns, along with forci...
Chadwells

PEA RIDGE (KFSM) — A Pea Ridge man is accused of beating his step-daughter with a spatula, a wooden spoon, and a stick covered in thorns, along with forcing her to sleep on the kitchen floor as punishment, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Brian Chadwell, 38, was arrested Wednesday (Oct. 3) in connection with third-degree domestic battery, a Class A misdemeanor.

Jennifer Chadwell, the girl’s mother, was arrested in connection with permitting the abuse of a minor, a Class D felony.

The girl told Pea Ridge police that Brian Chadwell hit her with the spatula after he thought she slammed a plastic container on the counter Tuesday (Oct. 2) evening, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Police said there was a “large red whelp” shaped like a spatula on the girl’s back more than 12 hours after the alleged incident.

The girl said Brian Chadwell had abused her often in the past, hitting her with a wooden spoon and a stick covered in thorns.

She said he hit her so many times with the wooden spoon it eventually broke, according to the affidavit.

The girl said she was also forced Tuesday (Oct. 2) to stand in a corner for roughly seven hours as punishment.

Around 2 a.m. on Wednesday (Oct. 3), she said her mother let her move to the kitchen floor, where she slept the rest of the night. The girl said her hands and feet hurt because of how cold it was on the floor.

The girl also said Brian and Jennifer Chadwell would often ground her from her room, meaning she wasn’t allowed to enter it for clothing or to sleep, according to the affidavit.

Brian Chadwell said that the girl was thrashing and trying to free herself while he hit her with the spatula so he may have hit her on the back, according to the affidavit.

Brian Chadwell added that he didn’t mean to hit her hard enough to leave a mark.

Jennifer Chadwell said she didn’t intervene when she saw Brian Chadwell hit her daughter with the spatula, adding that she “knew she should have done something to protect her daughter,” according to the affidavit.

When asked about whether he thought he was inflicting excessive punishment on his step-daughter, Brian Chadwell said he didn’t know what else to do and that he wasn’t a good parent.

The state Department of Human Services has taken custody of the girl, police said.

Brian and Jennifer Chadwell are both free on bond and due in court next month.

Before You Leave, Check This Out