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Indiana man arrested for trying to wash child’s mouth out with soap after kid cursed at him
An Indiana man was arrested after allegedly trying to force a bar of soap into a seven-year-old boy’s mouth as punishment for swearing at him. The incident matters because the child was injured and the man now faces a domestic battery charge.
According to an affidavit, Daniel Schergen, 34, was driving with his girlfriend and four children when the boy allegedly hit another child and called Schergen a swear word. Schergen reportedly stopped at a Dollar General to buy soap; the boy was left with a bruise near his ear and redness on his face, and began bleeding. Schergen was released on a $750 bond and is due in court on 6 January; police have not disclosed his relationship to the child.
In short
- Indiana man charged after alleged soap punishment injured a seven-year-old.
- The incident reportedly followed swearing and hitting in a car.
- Schergen was released on $750 bond and is due in court in January.
Explained simply
“Washing a child’s mouth out with soap” is an old-fashioned form of punishment for swearing. Forcing soap into a child’s mouth can cause injury, and physical punishment may lead to criminal charges depending on what happened.
Daniel Schergen is a 34-year-old Indiana man accused in an affidavit of trying to punish a seven-year-old boy this way. Police have not said how Schergen was related to the child; the case involves a domestic battery charge, which concerns alleged violence in a family or household setting.