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No Charges For Child-Whipping Judge Caught On YouTube

theodp writes "Federal prosecutors will not charge a Texas judge seen lashing his teenage daughter with a belt on a YouTube video taken seven years ago and posted online last week, closing the door on the possibility of criminal charges in the case. The viral video, uploaded by now 23-year-old Hillary Adams, shows her father, Aransas County Court-at-Law Judge William Adams, whipping her with a belt for downloading music when she was 16 (full video, requires login). 'F*****g computers,' the judge tells his now ex-wife on the video. 'I told you I didn't want one in the god damn house. See all the problems they cause?' Judge Adams issued a statement asserting that his daughter released the tape to retaliate against him for withdrawing his financial support."

36 of 948 comments (clear)

  1. Just another corrupt judge by fotbr · · Score: 5, Insightful

    and another example of a judge that should be removed from the bench by any means possible -- I don't know if you can recall a judge in texas, or if you have to wait until the next time that clown is up for reelection, or what the process is, but whatever the process, it needs to happen.

    1. Re:Just another corrupt judge by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 4, Funny

      Probably. The video is clear evidence of him applying non-capital punishment to an offender who could have been charged as an adult. Are texan voters going to stand for a soft-on-crime stance like that?

    2. Re:Just another corrupt judge by DigiShaman · · Score: 5, Interesting

      As a native Texan, I'm all for corporal punishment as a method of last resort. But not in the manor in which this was delivered. But if you have to go there, you have much bigger family problems in the first place. Such as lack of respect for others. Second, the parent delivering the punishment should never be in a state of hate and rage. Remember, corporal punishment is about sending a message of last resort. *NOT* to be used an excuse to vent rage and frustration like her parents did. The later only perpetuates family problems down the line.

      Case in point. The daughter never forgave the father (big issue) to this day, and she blackmailed him for money (so he says). Either way, they're are much bigger problems within that family we do not know about. Absolutely broken! Sad.

      --
      Life is not for the lazy.
    3. Re:Just another corrupt judge by artor3 · · Score: 4, Funny

      As a native Texan, I'm all for corporal punishment as a method of last resort. But not in the manor in which this was delivered.

      So the judge can't beat his daughter in his house, but could in someone else's? That seems kind of arbitrary.

  2. Re:The legal system at it's finest. by ravenspear · · Score: 5, Informative

    Actually no, the statute of limitations applies to regular citizens also.

  3. Federal? by jcr · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Child abuse is a state matter, last I heard. Why do federal prosecutors have anything to say about it?

    -jcr

    --
    The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
  4. Excuses by Spad · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Judge Adams issued a statement asserting that his daughter released the tape to retaliate against him for withdrawing his financial support.

    I'm not quite sure that makes what he did OK...

    1. Re:Excuses by phaserbanks · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Umm... call me crazy, but maybe she was retaliating for him repeatedly beating the crap out of her.

    2. Re:Excuses by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Nope. She's posted about it elsewhere, but basically, she saved the video in order to blackmail him. Fast forward to a week ago, and he threatens to stop allowing her to borrow his Mercedes. So she posts the video in response.

      They're both horrible people: the judge for beating his daughter, and the girl for blackmailing him over it.

      If she wanted him punished, she had the chance. She didn't. She wanted money from him.

    3. Re:Excuses by jd · · Score: 5, Insightful

      If she has become a monster, then it is of his design and his handiwork. It may not excuse her for her attitudes, if indeed these allegations are true, but his responsibility does not end with him, it encompasses ALL that he has done. If he has indeed broken her mind, then he is no less responsible than her for the video being posted.

      --
      It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
    4. Re:Excuses by lanner · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Abuse survivor here. I'm in my mid 30s now, male. I've not seen or heard from my parents/step-parents since I was fifteen years old. One of the best things I ever did in life.

      Blackmail was not involved here, as far as I can tell. I never read anything about that. She never threatened to release the video; she just did it. I would bet sacks full of money that she never let anyone else know about that video, out of fear of being abused further. It doesn't even make sense that she would try to use it as a control mechanism against him. Even if she did,.... uh... good for her.

      Note in the articles how the farther took back a car, thus depriving her of the ability to get around. It was never a gift to her. It was a tool to use as control, and when he wanted to control her further, he yanked the chain. This is a twenty year old we are talking about here, not a child. Even in adulthood, he treats his daughter as something that needs to be controlled.

      This guy will lose friends, respect, his job, and his entire career. I'd say that's pretty fair. I don't have any sympathy for him and very little for the mother.

      As for the feds, they should not be involved in any way, no duh.

      As for charges, unfortunately, she sat on this too long. Fear can really paralyze and control you. Again, no duh.

    5. Re:Excuses by rahvin112 · · Score: 4, Interesting

      And that's what everyone is missing. They think she is a spoiled brat blackmailing him for cutting her off. As you said from all appearances that car was her only transport. Given that's she got palsy she's probably very limited in what kind of transportation she can use. Although it doesn't excuse the fact that she should get her own transportation he's clearly using it as a form of control. He probably gave it to her with the intent to use it to control her, when she failed to do whatever it was he wanted he'd yank the chain and try to force her to obey. I'm willing to bet up to this point he's exerted immense influence over her and her life.

      He needs serious help in the form of counseling, and I dare say she does as well because I really don't think this was an adult response to the situation.

  5. Nothing to prosecute here - Statute of Limitations by devleopard · · Score: 4, Insightful

    He's a bad person, to say the least. However, the state's statute of limitations expired, and the federal prosecutors could find no *federal* laws being broken. (Keep in mind which crimes are state, which are federal) To do otherwise would be to violate the legal system, no matter what you feel.

    --
    The best thing about a boolean is even if you are wrong, you are only off by a bit.
  6. Re:The legal system at it's finest. by devleopard · · Score: 5, Funny

    One more example of the lack of reading the article on Slashdot at its finest.

    --
    The best thing about a boolean is even if you are wrong, you are only off by a bit.
  7. Not All Spankings Are The Same by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I know it is trendy & hip to not spank your children and I disagree with that -- I do spank my children on occasion and I can usually tell - from the behavior of other kids in their classes - which parents don't. All that being said, the guy in that video isn't spanking his daughter -- he has lost his temper and is just beating her. I mean, who screams "fuck" repeatedly when they are spanking their child? Plus, I think 16 is too old for corporal punishment -- honestly, the die is pretty much cast at that point. I think the fact that she released the tape 7 years later because he wouldn't pay her rent any more shows that she was already ... on a path that was different than what her Father wanted. PS -- Why wouldn't you just take the fucking computer, anyways?

    1. Re:Not All Spankings Are The Same by Anubis+IV · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Completely agree. To repeat something I said elsewhere, I support corporal punishment, but not when it's anything that even remotely resembles what that video shows. I've talked to my parents about some of this over the years as questions about how I'll one day raise my own children have come up, and some of the things that I most remember about my punishments as a child were things that I later learned were entirely deliberate and intentional on their part.

      My parents did spank me as a child, but they made a point of never once doing it while angry, never once using it as a first resort, never once doing it before they had clearly explained to me what I had done wrong and making sure I understood (and they always gave me 10-30 minutes to think about it before discussing it with me), never once trivializing it by slapping or swatting me, and never once doing it without telling me that they loved me (and making that clear to me through the tears in their eyes). Aside from the obvious (at least to me) fact that they were acting out of love, the fact that I could always count on them to be reasonable is what made those spankings effective. There were a few times where my parents had me sit in a room in anticipation of being spanked, only to let me leave for one reason or another (e.g. it became evident that I was acting with a different motivation than they had ascribed to me, such as entering an off-limits area, not to misbehave, but rather to pull a wayward sibling out of harm's way).

      Any punishments of this sort need to be given out of true love and concern for the wellbeing of the child. Anything else is inexcusable and won't be effective since the child will recognize it for being what it is: unloving, unfair, inconsistent, or unreasonable. I was fortunate to have two loving parents who understood that. Not everyone is that fortunate.

  8. Re:The legal system at it's finest. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    18 USC 3283 - Sec. 3283. Offenses against children

    "No statute of limitations that would otherwise preclude prosecution for an offense involving the sexual or physical abuse, or kidnaping, of a child under the age of 18 years shall preclude such prosecution during the life of the child."

    I believe the code is clear in stating that the statute of limitations do NOT apply to child abuse victims.

  9. Re:Child? by tomhudson · · Score: 5, Insightful

    More likely he is beating lashing his daughter for violating the law. It is not necessarily a statement on whether the law is just.

    No, he's beating his daughter because he's an idiot with anger management and control issues. If it's not okay to beat a stranger for "violating the law", then it's certainly not okay to beat someone you're supposed to love, and who you have a legal responsibility to protect from bad stuff such as illegal physical assaults like this.

    BTW: This was not a one-time incident.

  10. Re:The legal system at it's finest. by eldepeche · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If she had released it when she was a 16-year-old living at home, I would imagine he would have beaten the shit out of her.

  11. Re:Only till 25? by cheekyjohnson · · Score: 4, Insightful

    You'll understand why all of your arguments are completely incorrect when you're older.

    --
    Filthy, filthy copyrapists!
  12. Re:Child? by eldepeche · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Even more likely he is beating his daughter because it makes him feel like a big man on a power trip. She knew what she was doing would elicit a severe beating, so if she wanted footage of him abusing her, all she had to do was download some songs from the internet.

    Child abuse and domestic abuse aren't about punishment, they are about control. She could probably have changed the desktop background or something equally trivial. He's not punishing her for misdeeds, he's beating her into submission. He even says so in the video.

  13. Source - no registration required by mayberry42 · · Score: 4, Informative
  14. I got beat as a kid. by dadioflex · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Ho ho. I got beat left and right for stuff I did as a kid. This video is so much BS, bunch of wormy liberals complaining about a real person taking control of their family, after their daughter has stolen stuff off the internet. Yup. That's what I thought until I watched about a third of it before I couldn't stomach any more.

    I'm for discipline, and I'm for corporal punishment, but that was a sick individual getting his kicks punishing his child. You lose the moral battle when you curse as much as he did, when you seem to enjoy it as much as he did, when you won't stop even when your child is a weeping wreck in front of you.

    What sort of parent looks back on that I thinks they've helped mould their child into a good citizen?

    There's a lot of talk about how she only showed this after he took away her toys. Because you expected adult, rational behaviour from her? Yeah, that's how she was raised. Wasn't it?

    I don't normally get angry at Random Q. Internetguy, but that wasn't an Internet meme, that thing you just saw, that was the repeated, planned, brutalization of a child by her parent, and it was appalling.

  15. Re:The legal system at it's finest. by tomhudson · · Score: 4, Informative

    Why exactly should federal charges be brought against him? I don't think beating your kid is a federal crime.

    Come to Canada. It *is* a federal crime and the law has been upheld by the Supreme Court, just like drunk driving, and you will be charged. You'll have to make bail and promise to come back for your trial, and if you don't your sorry ass will be extradited from the US.

    And no, we also do it to Canadians as well - and there is no "religious excuse".

    âoeWhatever oneâ(TM)s belief in higher authority, if you live in Canada you are subject to the laws of Canada as interpreted by the courts, in this case the Supreme Court of Canada,â Stevens-Guille said in the ruling. âoeSpare the rod and spoil the child is not the byword of the discipline of children in this country in 2010,â he added.
    ...
    In 2004, the Supreme Court of Canada banned spanking of children under 2 and over 12 and criminalized it at any age with an implement such as the common wooden spoon.

    And there is no statute of limitations on child abuse in Canada.

  16. Re:The legal system at it's finest. by Khyber · · Score: 4, Informative

    The State Attorney is a lying sack of shit.

    http://www.dallascriminaldefenselawyerblog.com/2008/09/statute-of-limitations-texas-l.html

    TEN YEARS.

    2011-2004 = 7

    Someone needs to shoot the SA as well.

    --
    Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
  17. Re:Child? by lattyware · · Score: 4, Interesting

    You don't beat a child to make a moral point. You can, and should, smack a child to teach them when they can't understand - for example, if a young child is about to touch a hot oven, you smack them to shock them and reinforce the point, something you can't do with words when they are young. But that is about shock, communicating and not real harm. You should never be beating a child with an object, and never repeatedly. It should never be more than enough to cause a bit of mild pain and shock to grab attention and make them realise. By the time they are 16, you should be able to talk with your child a reason with them. If you can't, consider the idea you might be wrong. Sure, sometimes kids won't listen, but beating them is never an answer. Kid, adult - they are people. Beating them is wrong.

    --
    -- Lattyware (www.lattyware.co.uk)
  18. Re:hard to watch by meburke · · Score: 5, Informative

    Note: She is an adult and recovering from the abuse. However, she was born with ataxic cerebral palsy. I don't know how bad it is, but it may preclude her from many occupations. Apparently she is pretty smart and plays the piano well. Ataxic cerebral palsy usually affects muscular coordination, and the symptoms (poor balance, shakiness, poor coordination) last a lifetime and may get worse in old age.

    There is no reason to discuss why she needed her family's support, if she needed her family's support, if it was justified to withdraw the support or anything else because we don't know enough facts, and it's none of our business.

    http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=thinker's+toolbox&x=0&y=0

    --
    "The mind works quicker than you think!"
  19. Re:"Spare the rod, spoil the child." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    My parents took the belt to my hind end a few times as a kid and I turned out OK.

    Uh, no. You grew up to be an advocate of beating children. That you think that represents "turning out OK" shows how far from OK you are.

  20. Generational Abuser v2.0 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Gotta agree with the AC - I've been beat before, and while it looked like this man was putting his heart into it, he looked like an out of shape skinny punk compared to the whippings I got as a child. When a beating was finished in my household, the crying didn't stop for 30 minutes, and you'd be lucky if you weren't limping afterwards. If the video had shown her inconsolable for 20 minutes after the beating, hardly able to move because of the pain, I'd be more inclined to feel some sympathy for her. As it was, she had a dick father, and a dick mother, but as soon as they got out of the room, she was cool as a cucumber, walking around like the beating was nothing to her.

    Now be clear, even if you're a wimp with a belt and can't give a 16 year old enough of a smack down to keep them crying for 30 minutes, you shouldn't be beating your kid - it's stupid and unproductive. But this was definitely "gotcha" videography on the part of the kid. The whole family is rotten, and frankly, I'm most appalled by the mother - the fact that she was cool with it as an observer (although I think she got one lick in too) was chilling.

    Seems like you're primed and ready to be a child abuser yourself.

    Your attitude needs a lot of work. I'd recommend a psychological evaluation, stat. Or just show this post to your woman and let her decide.

  21. Re:The legal system at it's finest. by Khyber · · Score: 5, Informative

    Your quote is screwed.

    "Ten Years- theft of any estate by an executor/administrator. Theft by a public servant of government property, Forgery. Injury to a child, elderly individual, or disabled individual punishable as a felony of the first degree under Section 22.04, Penal Code;"

    A child with cerebral palsy that has been terrorized into a state of fear and unable to defend themselves is a felony, according to Penal code 22.01 with the provision of it being a THIRD DEGREE FELONY if conducted against a person described in Section 71.0021(b), 71.003, or 71.005, Family Code (in this case, it's 71.005 that applies - Household member) and also in Section 22.04, which the entirety of the section shall be hereforth linked

    http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/docs/pe/htm/pe.22.htm

      ""Disabled individual" means a person older than 14 years of age who by reason of age or physical or mental disease, defect, or injury is substantially unable to protect himself from harm or to provide food, shelter, or medical care for himself."

    By reason of age - 16 years old is not old enough to reasonably live on your own, especially with cerebral palsy, which happens to fall under physical disease.

    Hi, I can read in-depth and reference multiple law requirements at the same time thanks to tabbed browsing. SOL has very clearly not expired due to these conditions.

    --
    Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
  22. Re:He... by somersault · · Score: 5, Insightful

    After having watched the video, it's very hard not to agree with you though. I don't understand how whipping his daughter is teaching her a lesson about downloading. Beating the fuck out of him might help though, seeing as fear and control seem to be the only thing he understands.

    --
    which is totally what she said
  23. Mod up by ridgecritter · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Wish I had mod points. Times change, things get better. What our parents accepted as the way of the world wasn't ok with us. What we think of as part of the landscape is not good enough for our kids. This is progress.

  24. Re:Child? by omfgnosis · · Score: 4, Insightful

    and he isn't declared innocent either if he isn't charged.

    Actually, he is. That's what "innocent until proven guilty" means, and that is the legal status of any person in the US who has not been tried and convicted.

    You need to bring him to court to determine guilty or not.

    Which is not the same as "innocent". It is "guilty" or "not guilty".

    Note: I am not saying that this person is innocent, in a moral sense; he clearly is not. I'm only speaking to the legal structure.

  25. Re:Child? by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 4, Insightful

    That is not a matter of "age" but of education or age based education.
    History is full of 14 year olds becoming King or war lord or any other high abstract thinker with organization tallent or great leader ship.
    In our society growing ups are treated like puppies, most of the time hold down so they don't develop. And only martyred with grades in stuff completely unrelated to what is really interesting. How do you learn enough physics in "school" or "high school" to get interested in studying it?
    Do you know who Niels Bohr is? Smart young people are the norm, not the exception. Also "adult" young people are the norm. The fact that we don't have/see this right now is a side effect of our society and not a genetic thing of aging or growing up. Most young people I meet are bored ... bored ... bored about what school and life demands from them ... many of them live in their own worlds. Just doing musics, parties and sports and the bare minimum to pass classes in school. The teacher asks: what do you think about "X" and they tell him everything he missed the last 20 years about X ...
    Sorry, I don't know what you want to see in your brain scans ... but I can bet that a big deal of the brains you scan (from young people) are just not yet malformed like the main adult brains are.

    --
    Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
  26. Re:Child? by Runaway1956 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    There are a couple questions to ask about the "spankings".

    1. Did you actually do something wrong - or were the "spankings" random, unpredictable, and/or unwarranted?

    2. Did you get belted all over your body, like the girl in the video?

    3. Was there a preset number of swats, or did your parent just whip until his arms got tired?

    4. Was there a definite lesson to be imparted?

    5. Did you actually LEARN a lesson, or did you just "learn" to avoid Dad, or to hide your actions better?

    As for minding our own damned business - that shit can go to far. I seem to remember some women being killed in New York City, screaming, crying, and begging for help - and no passerby would lift a finger, or make a telephone call. I also seem to remember, more recently, a toddler being killed in traffic in China, and no one would come to her aid. Almost every month, we read of some child dying in America due to abuse and neglect. I'm one to "mind my own business" most of the time - but there comes a time when you HAVE to take notice!

    --
    "Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
  27. Re:Child? by syousef · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I was spanked with a razor belt more times than I care to count when I was growing up...

    You are a clear example of why this form of discipline should not be used. You're incapable of thinking for yourself, as evidenced by the logical fallacy you opened with. Or rather fallacies.

    1. Let's start with the fact that you don't agree that you were harmed does not mean you were not indeed harmed - you clearly have no sympathy/empathy for others who are similarly abused. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychologist's_fallacy

    2. If I were to accept that you were not harmed, why would I accept that others with different motivations, beliefs, personalities would not be harmed? A sample size of one is not sufficient. Perhaps you turned out fine but your neighbour would become a serial killer or a broken wreck of a person given this form of discpiline. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post_hoc_ergo_propter_hoc and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hasty_generalization

    I don't doubt others apply and that is just your opening sentence. I don't have time or inclination to pick apart more. See the complete list here:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fallacies

    May I ask the following question? If it is okay in your mind for a parent to beat his or her children to make sure they do not behave antisocially, why not a boss beating his or her workers, or a teacher, provided that they mean well? What exactly makes it okay to discipline a child one way but not an adult? Surely you don't think they are lesser creatures? So what possible sane argument can you make here? I'm curious.

    If you think it's okay for you or others to beat people to get them "in line" with your way of thinking, you have in fact been harmed by your upbringing. Violence often escalates. Children learn by example. Get help - certainly before having children and infecting the next generation. You are using your abuse to justify more abuse.

    That's less succinct than "Fuck you, asshole" the other poster presented, but much more thorough. Consider that I'm not being abusive and actually think about what I am saying.

    --
    These posts express my own personal views, not those of my employer