Commerce man arrested for punching, slapping daughter at wrestling event after loss
STEVEN MATHUE SLATON
HALL COUNTY, Ga. - A man was arrested in Hall County over the weekend after he allegedly punched and slapped his daughter at a sporting event.
According to the Hall County Sheriff's Office, they were called to Cherokee Bluff Middle School just after 2 p.m. Jan. 20 to investigate a report of a man punching and slapping a female child.
The preliminary investigation revealed that 38-year-old Steven Mathue Slaton from Commerce became angry with his daughter after she failed to win a wrestling match being hosted at the school.
He allegedly punched the girl in the back, slapped her in the face, and then picked her up by her ears, lifting the girl over his head.
The girl was not physically injured, according to the sheriff's office.
The victim is not a student in the Hall County School District. She and her family had traveled to Hall County for the youth wrestling event. The event was not sponsored by the school district.
Slaton was charged with felony cruelty to children in the first degree. He posted $11,200 bond on Monday afternoon.