A Minnesota man is accused of locking his teenage daughter in a bedroom and whipping her up to 30 times with a tree branch and a belt, the Star Tribune reported. The man also allegedly told police he had "every right to whoop her," WCCO reported.
Craig D. Underwood II, 38, of Eden Prairie, was charged in Hennepin County District Court with felony malicious punishment of a child, the newspaper reported. He was released on $18,000 bail.
The girl has been placed in foster care on an interim basis, the Star Tribune reported. Underwood and his wife retain custody of their other four children, who range in age from 11 to 17, the newspaper reported.
According to a criminal complaint, the girl contacted Hennepin County Child Protection on Nov. 15 via email from an iPad, accusing her father of striking her several times with a tree branch and a belt on her back, legs and buttocks, WCCO reported.
The teen claimed her father was upset because she came home from school with someone her family dislikes, and that she was late for class, according to the Star Tribune, citing the child-protection filings. She said Underwood made her put on shorts and locked her in a bedroom. He then cut a branch off a tree and "hit her approximately 30 times with both a switch and a belt."
Underwood admitted to police that he did “whoop” his daughter, according to the complaint. Underwood allegedly also told authorities he believed he had “every right” to hit his daughter, the newspaper reported.
Police found a belt and tree branch matching the teen's description in the home and arrested Underwood, WCCO reported.
If convicted of the malicious punishment charge, Underwood could face up to a year in prison and/or a fine of $3,000, the television station reported.
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