Two arrested after police say they handcuffed children together and shocked them
Mar 28, 2022, 9:21 AM
OGDEN, Utah — Two people are in custody after they allegedly handcuffed two children together and used an electronic shocking device to discipline them.
According to court documents, Jared Hamilton and Mercedes Compton, both 29, were each arrested and booked into the Weber County Jail on two felony counts of child abuse late Saturday night.
Police say they observed security footage showing Hamilton shock his girlfriend’s 5-year-old son on the arm with the device. The child “violently pulled his arm away from the device” and tried to get away from Hamilton. However, he couldn’t “because he was handcuffed to his 6-year-old sister,” police said.
Officers said the security video later showed Hamilton grabbing the girl’s arm and “touching her with the electric shock device on the back.”
According to court documents, Compton allegedly took the electronic shocking device from Hamilton and “was waiving it around in front of both of the kids before reaching out and touching the 5-year-old child with it.”
Police said the 6-year-old girl reached out and stopped Compton from touching her with the device but couldn’t get away from Compton because she was handcuffed to her brother.