Ypsilanti man faces child abuse charges
An Ypsilanti man accused of beating two juvenile relatives as a means of discipline remains jailed on a $50,000 cash or surety bond, jail officials said Thursday afternoon.
Charles Earl Chism, 34, was arraigned Wednesday at the Washtenaw County Jail on charges of third-degree child abuse and fourth-degree child abuse.
Chism
Ypsilanti police said Chism punched a boy in the back of the head and hit him several times in the chest Sunday at a home on Washtenaw Avenue. Chism also is accused of hitting a girl several times with a belt in the torso and buttocks roughly two weeks ago, leaving welts, police said.
Both children are under the age of 12. Chism is on probation after being convicted last fall of fourth-degree child abuse.
He is scheduled to return to court Feb. 21 for a preliminary hearing.
Lee Higgins covers crime and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached by phone at (734) 623-2527 and email at leehiggins@annarbor.com.
Comments
mommyof5
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 : 1:51 p.m.
He was convicted of fourth degree child abuse last fall. Why is this man allowed to be around children? The article states that the children are relatives of his under the age of 12. What parent would knowingly leave a child under the age of 12 in the care of a convicted child abuser? Shame on all the adults involved.
AdmiralMoose
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 : 12:10 p.m.
There is no excuse for violence against children.
AdmiralMoose
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 1:35 p.m.
Yes, I have children. And there is no excuse for violence against them, either.
shutthefrtdoor
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 : 6:43 p.m.
Do you have children?
AdmiralMoose
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 : 3:55 p.m.
The Bible also tells you you must put to death anyone who works on the Sabbath, and that it's okay to beat slaves so long as they can get up again in a few days. I think I would look elsewhere for discipline suggestions, shutthefrtdoor.
shutthefrtdoor
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 : 3:28 p.m.
Spare the rod...spoil the child. I read that somewhere...hmmm oh I remember...in the Bible.
RJA
Thu, Feb 9, 2012 : 11:18 p.m.
This is not discipline, this is ABUSE! A man's hand can clearly be a weapon. as well as a belt. my heart goes out to the children.
shutthefrtdoor
Mon, Feb 13, 2012 : 3:40 p.m.
Whaaat-eVeeeerrrrr... I certainly didn't inject "anger" into this equation. My children aren't the ones running around out of control and bouncing off the walls. My children also know how to control their emotions and impulses. They are very repectful to adults. They also know they can come to me with ANY issue without reprisal. That comes from "early home training". Good luck with the "parenting books".
Ann23
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 3:06 a.m.
I forgot one thing. Children, especially females, need to learn that it is acceptable to be slapped and punched when they don't do what somebody who is stronger than them wants and it is okay for anger to be taken out on them. *gag* Seriously, how can somebody defend this kind of behavior in somebody who has already been in trouble for child abuse yet still, allegedly, behaves in this way. From what I've seen and heard CPS and the courts tend to underreact to such accusations and when things are in question, give the accused the benefit of the doubt. Especially if they have a good defense attorney.
Ann23
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 2:39 a.m.
Ya, slapping a child in the face will teach a child to behave, that's why it's recommended as an effective form of discipline in all the parenting books. It teaches a child wonderful behavior. Oh, and they don't just follow the expected behavior out of fear of the abuser after that but because they have been taught a good understanding of right and wrong and respect for others. But, I don't see how punching somebody in the back of the head can be interpreted as slapping in the face. But, of course you know better. And, the Bible says to slap children in the face and punch them in the back of the head. It's good that there are so many people out there who have learned that inciting fear of being harmed is a reasonable way of getting a desired behavior out of others. Who needs to feel safe, secure, and respected anyway. That leads to nothing good. That's why I'm glad there are so many people out there who teach themselves to be abusive. Good old fashioned ways of handling anger and situations where you don't like the behavior of others should be followed. Just look at the KKK and lynch mobs. Smacking or punching a child instead of putting real time and effort into their training is the intelligent way to handle things, other methods are just used by people who can't handle reasonable, rational ways of raising a child. Even though I just said all that with complete sarcasm, I think I just made myself sick.
shutthefrtdoor
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 : 3:25 p.m.
So RJA doesn't agree with slapping or using a belt on a child...that's fine. What about spanking? I have another question. Where are all the people that come on here griping and complaining about "all these unruly" kids and why doesn't someone do something about them? Like I said earlier...maybe he is a jerk. We just don't know. A lot of posters are jumping to conclusions.
Sidetrack08
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 : 3:03 a.m.
I agree with RJA!! What's up with these adults hurting kids these days anyway? That's all we hear in the headlines. Someone should clean his clock a few times,to see if he likes it. Not to forget this is his SECOND offensive,wow! Are we waiting for him to kill the kids next time, before the law does something constructive????
shutthefrtdoor
Thu, Feb 9, 2012 : 9:13 p.m.
Ok...did he "punch" for real...or did he apply some good ol' fashion discipline to his kin because they were lacking in that department? You just never know these days with the prying eyes of the "well intentioned". I guess we will need to learn more.
shutthefrtdoor
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 : 6:40 p.m.
No Admiral...I didn't say that. So...for the record...it is not OK to punch a child in the head. But...some discipline to the child, whether it be a smack on the mouth or upside the head may be acceptable. It boils down to the amount of force. I am not advocating "injuring the child" by any means. I just know how people see things when they are sticking their nose in someone elses business. We just don't know yet. Don't crucify the guy yet...that's all.
AdmiralMoose
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 : 3:58 p.m.
So, it's okay to punch a child in the head if you're just disciplining him? How hard are you allowed to hit when you're disciplining a child? There is no excuse for violence against children.
shutthefrtdoor
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 : 3:11 p.m.
@ liekkio...yes I read the article. Did you read my post? Are you assuming he is guilty? Surely in the land of the free and the home of the progressive we wouldn't lower ourselves to "public trials". A person could very easily be convicted of "4th degree.." for giving a good ol' fashion back hand in public to a mouthy child. Especially depending on the ability or desire to go through a lengthy expensive trial. My last sentence; "I guess we will need to learn more." suggests that I for one, understand "well intentioned" do gooders, that probably have bratty kids, will drop the dime on anyone that isn't following their "model" of proper rearing. Was this man attending to kin that don't have a father? Was he set up? We don't really know right now do we? Are we privy to the details of his prior convivtion? Noooo... Was it the same child? Is this guy just a total jerk that has a temper problem and takes it out on kids? We don't know. There are so many false reports and "pay backs" now-a-days that we just don't know.
liekkio
Thu, Feb 9, 2012 : 9:55 p.m.
Did you read the article? It's not that long to not miss the obvious: "Chism is on probation after being convicted last fall of fourth-degree child abuse". It is doubtful he was convicted because of "good ol' fashion discipline".