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Father charged with maliciously punishing child

A girl who had difficulty walking and sitting in school has led to charges against her father. 
Don K. Perkins, 33, of Blooming Prairie, has been charged in Steele County District Court with four counts of malicious punishment of a child and domestic assault in connection with the incident. He faces two gross misdemeanors, as well as a pair of misdemeanors.
Police responded to Blooming Prairie Elementary School Thursday afternoon to investigate a report of child maltreatment. A school staff member called child protection after noticing a 10-year-old girl was having trouble walking and sitting. 
The girl told police that she gets spankings from her dad if she doesn’t finish household chores or if she steals candy or food from the kitchen. She also indicated her father uses a light brown paddle with a handle that looks like a cutting board. 
According to the complaint, the girl said her dad spanked her on Feb. 23, two days before the police were contacted. Perkins allegedly spanked her butt with the wood paddle and stopped counting at 22 spankings, the complaint said. The girl said he usually wears a heavy duty work glove to hold onto the paddle so it hurts even more.
After the spanking episode, the girl reportedly had to take an ice bath. She told authorities that she has received similar punishments from her dad in the past. 
Police also interviewed the victim’s sibling, who confirmed that the spankings took place at the hands of their father. The court records say the sibling commented that “paddles accidentally break because of the spankings.”
The child protection worker examined the girl’s injuries and found bruising and split open skin on her buttocks, court documents said. 
In an interview with police, Perkins said he disciplined his daughter because she had been stealing. He told police, “if she takes something sweet from the kitchen she knows she’s not supposed to have, then she gets disciplined.”  
Perkins stated he gives his children different amounts of swats depending on what they have done ranging from lying to using profanity. 
He made an initial appearance in court Feb. 25 and bail was set at $10,000. His next court date is scheduled for March 10.
 
 

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