Florida man berated, abused child for 28 minutes over missing couch cushion, deputies say
Man beat child over missing couch cushion: deputies
A Florida man is accused of child abuse after he allegedly screamed obscenities and physically abused a child over a displaced couch cushion, according to the Osceola County Sheriff's Office. The alleged incident apparently happened on Dec. 7, 2024 at a home in Kissimmee, but was not immediately reported. OCSO opened an investigation days later on Dec. 11.
KISSIMMEE, Fla. - A Florida man is accused of child abuse after he allegedly screamed obscenities and physically abused a child over a displaced couch cushion, according to the Osceola County Sheriff's Office.
The alleged incident apparently happened on Dec. 7, 2024 at a home in Kissimmee, but was not immediately reported. OCSO opened an investigation days later on Dec. 11.
According to OCSO, Lance Rachel Sr., who turned 42 on Dec. 9, was angry because one of the couch cushions was displaced and accused the child of lying.
"The suspect maliciously punished the child by screaming obscenities and physically abusing the victim over the course of 28 minutes. The victim was struck over 50 times with a belt. He was also choked and called several disparaging names and other obscenities," OCSO said in a news release.
The man also threatened to break the child's jaw.
On Dec. 16, deputies interviewed Kimberly Rachel, 35, who confirmed the incident happened and that she did not report it to authorities. She was arrested on a charge of failure to report known child abuse.
Lance Rachel was booked into jail on charges of aggravated child abuse and battery by strangulation, according to online jail records.
It was not immediately clear if either had an attorney.