KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A man and woman were charged in Jackson County in connection to the physical abuse of a 7-year-old child.
Terry L. Watson, 33, of Independence, Missouri, faces one count of domestic assault in the first degree or in the alternative or abuse or neglect of a child, per court documents.
Tiffnee D. Hockaday, 38, also of Independence, faces one count of abuse or neglect of a child.
Court documents revealed Watson allegedly punched the child — who is diagnosed with autism and is non-verbal with hearing issues — in the face at an International House of Pancakes restaurant and slapped the child twice in the face.
Restaurant customers told Independence police Watson forcefully grabbed the victim's head and made him look at the ground.
An Independence detective got an e-mail on Nov. 7 from another detective with a video attachment showing Hockaday walking out of a house while dragging the child by the arm.
In the video, she tells Watson the 7-year-old had a problem inside the house.
Watson then allegedly punched the child with a closed fist several times on the back and placed his hand over the child's mouth before punching the child several times in the stomach.
Police found the video had been posted on the Independence Awareness Facebook page, according to court documents.
Watson was interviewed by police the day after the alleged front porch beating.
He told a detective he "blacked out" and doesn't remember punching the child.
Hockaday told police she knew Watson was physically abusive to the child, but she did not report the abuse even though her job makes her a mandatory reporter of abuse.
Court documents also revealed Hockaday said she would tell someone to make a hotline report for her because she was scared of Watson. Although, she never filed a police report of the abuse.
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