Provo father accused of abusing teen daughter for not completing her squats
by Pat Reavy ksl · KSL.comPROVO — A 35-year-old Provo man is accused of hitting his teenage daughter multiple times with a plastic-coated jump rope because she didn't complete her exercises.
The man was charged Tuesday in 4th District Court with aggravated child abuse, a first-degree felony. KSL is not naming the man to protect the identity of the teen girl.
On Saturday, the man was monitoring his 14-year-old daughter's workout.
"The defendant told (the teen) to start doing squats with the weight he had put on the bar. (She) did it a couple of times then said she was tired and couldn't do anymore," charging documents read. "The defendant instructed her to continue to do more squats and (she) did it again then refused to continue."
The father became angry and "picked up a plastic corded jump rope and hit (the teen) with it as she was curled in a fetal position. The defendant hit her at least three times leaving welts on (her) shoulder, buttocks, lower back, and calf," the charges state.
A police booking affidavit further adds that when officers arrived at the home, the teen "was crying profusely and hyperventilating. After she took some deep breaths, she showed (the officer) her injuries, which were very prominent, red, nearly bleeding welts on her lower back, consistent with a jump rope."
The father initially fled the home to "cool off," according to court documents, but returned while police were still there and was arrested.
The man told investigators that he would have his daughter, who plays basketball at her middle school, "exercise two times per day, 5 to 6 times per week," and that he "was tired of her not completing the exercises to the best of her abilities," the affidavit states.
{#abuse}