Police: Mother forced child to 'plank' or be whipped with belt

DULUTH, Ga. - A Gwinnett County mother is accused of hitting her child with a belt as punishment for stealing.

Duluth police said Meranda Bell, 28, forced her 8-year-old child into a pushup or plank position, and then struck the child with a belt if the child moved.

Bell told officers it was punishment for taking money from her purse.

Officials at Chattahoochee Elementary School called Gwinnett County Division of Family and Children Services after noticing the injuries on the child's back.

Police charged bell with cruelty to children and was booked into the Gwinnett County jail.