Matthew Hargraves of Johnson, Green & Hargraves, P.A. and chairman of the City of Milton’s Courthouse Committee and his fiancée Amber Ryals were recently arrested and charged with cruelty towards child on Sunday.
Hargraves and Ryals have since posted a $7,500 bond after their brief incarceration.
In a Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office arrest report, deputies were dispatched to a Milton residence to assist the Department of Children and Families.
The residential visit stems from a Nov. 10 DCF intake report. In the report, Hargraves’ and his fiancé restrained a child while Hargraves spanked the child with a switch.
Deputies said the spanking was a result of the child getting in trouble at school earlier that day. The intake report said the child had deep purple bruising on both of the child’s legs as a result of spanking. The DCF representative said the child had difficulty sitting down due to the amount of pain.
The Intake report said the child was treated as if they were in ‘juvenile detention.’ The child was made to sit in their room and only allowed to come out once every three hours to use the restroom.
After meeting with a DCF investigator, deputies went to the child’s residence and met with Hargraves and Ryals.
In the report, Hargraves said he would speak with authorities only after his attorney arrived on scene.
While being interviewed by deputies in the presence of Johnson, both Hargraves and Ryals confirmed the Nov. 20 punishment.
Reports said the couple stopped to check the child for injuries while administering the punishment, and then continued the spanking.
Reports said with written statements from DCF – including photos featuring severe bruising– Hargraves and Ryals were both placed under arrest.
In the report, Hargraves said he did not think the punishment was abusive.
The topic of corporal punishment continues to be controversial as to what is excessive when it comes to punishing a child.
Rich Aloy, public information officer for the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office, said each case of child abuse is unique.
“Every case is different, we affect the law based on the totality of the circumstances,” he said.
DaMonica Rivas, who serves as the communications director, Northwest Region of the Florida Department of Children and Families, said DCF does not “tell parents how to discipline their children.”
“However, if the chosen method of discipline falls within the definition of abuse, that could be considered child abuse,” Rivas stated in an email.
Rivas also provided the Florida Statute in which the DCF abides, when it comes to child abuse.
Florida Statute 39.01 states as follows…
“Abuse” means any willful act or threatened act that results in any physical, mental, or sexual abuse, injury, or harm that causes or is likely to cause the child’s physical, mental, or emotional health to be significantly impaired. Abuse of a child includes acts or omissions. Corporal discipline of a child by a parent or legal custodian for disciplinary purposes does not in itself constitute abuse when it does not result in harm to the child.”
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Local attorney charged with cruelty towards child