Utah Man Beats 11-Year-Old With Metal Bar Over Poor Grades

A man in Utah has been arrested after allegedly beating his 11-year-old child with a metal bar. The man told police he "lost it" after finding out his child was failing in class.

Police were alerted on Tuesday about the child, who had been brought to Intermountain Medical Center with numerous contusions. The child told an officer their father became upset after showing him their grades. The man has not been named to protect the identity of the child.

The man from West Valley City reportedly grabbed a silver metal bar, telling his child to put out their hands because they were "going to get a whooping."

The father reportedly told the child he was going to kill them during the beating. After the man told another child to get a cord, the victim ran out of the home and contacted a neighbor, telling them they had been beaten.

Large bruises and lacerations were found on the child's arms, legs and face. All of the bruises were reported to have a distinct outline and oval shape, according to officials.

The child's grandmother expressed serious concern that the man would retaliate. She was contacted by the child's mother who said if the grandmother didn't help her, he would beat the mother as well, according to the police report.

The man, who was reported to have a history of domestic violence, admitted he was wrong to have beaten the child with a metal bar.

He has been charged with child abuse.

Other child abuse incidents

Last month, police in Georgia charged a babysitter with murdering a two-year-old girl who was in her care.

Kirstie Flood, 29, was arrested after an autopsy revealed the child "suffered severe injuries that resulted in her death during her care by the suspect," according to a statement from the Sandy Springs Police Department at the time.

Flood was charged with two counts of felony murder, one count of malice murder, one count of aggravated battery and one count of first-degree cruelty to children.

Last November, a mother was accused of mutilating her toddler, leaving the child with missing fingernails and toenails.

Nikki Manning, 30, was arrested and charged after deputies received reports of possible child abuse in a home in Greenville, North Carolina, dating back to October. The child also tested positive for narcotics, deputies said at the time.

Also in November 2020, a two-month-old baby girl was placed on life support at a Texas hospital after she was found with injection marks and tested positive for heroin, police said at the time.

When officers arrived at the scene of the incident, the infant was found to be unresponsive. She was administered life-saving measures while being transferred to Shannon Medical Center for treatment.

Detectives with the San Angelo Police Department's Crimes Against Children Unit also discovered the baby had not received formal medical care since she was born.