A Texas man was arrested for allegedly slapping a 12-year-old Deer Park boy accused of bullying his stepdaughter in an incident that was caught on surveillance tape, according to news reports.
James Olander Peace is facing a felony injury to a child charge, but his wife told KTRK-TV that the court records don't tell the whole story.
She wanted to remain anonymous but said her daughter was being bullied by two classmates and that her husband was just sticking up for the girl.
They said "that her body was ugly, said that she was a transvestite, started throwing ice cream at her and then they picked up the rocks," the woman said, according to KTRK.
The girl called her parents for a ride, and after Peace picked her up, they saw the two boys, authorities said.
"On the drive home, they happened to see the suspect juvenile walking and that's when the stepdad decided to stop and confront the kid," Deer Park police Lt. Chris Brown said.
The confrontation was caught on a surveillance camera, and Peace was seen shouting and hitting the boy, Brown said.
"He was slapped across the face with an open hand, had red marks and swelling to his cheek and upper jaw," Brown said.
The news station also reported that court records indicate Peace told the boy not to tell police or he'd beat him up.
The boy did tell a teacher about the incident the next day, and Peace was arrested.
He’s free on a $15,000 bond.
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