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A couple from Florida has been taken into custody, facing accusations of punishing their daughter by making her ingest homemade hot sauce as a penalty for lying.
Robert and Ashley Eldredge were detained in Brevard County on March 13, charged with child abuse and simple assault, a third-degree felony. Court records examined by Oxygen do not specify if the couple has entered a plea regarding these charges.
The affidavit suggests that the young girl reported her parents forced her to drink a homemade hot sauce, a fiery mix of red peppers, onions, and oil, repeatedly. The most recent incident allegedly occurred on March 11, as detailed in a probable cause affidavit shared with Oxygen.
According to the affidavit, the child claimed that on that day, she was accused of lying about marking a cat with ink, prompting her mother to administer a spoonful of the concoction. She also mentioned being left alone at home for nearly three hours on the same evening.
During an interview with authorities, the girl recounted that her mother, Ashley, would sometimes hold her nose shut to force her to swallow the sauce. She claimed to have an allergy to one of the sauce’s ingredients, which caused her stomach pain and often led to vomiting.
As authorities wrote in the affidavit, the child had visible welts and bruises on her legs which she attributed to her parents striking her with a belt and a hand. The girl indicated in the affidavit that her parents have allegedly used a wooden spoon to cause bruises on her body.
Robert allegedly told police in the affidavit that he used a belt on his daughter as punishment. Meanwhile, per the affidavit, Ashley allegedly confirmed one occurrence where her daughter vomited after drinking the beverage and that she did force the girl to ingest it.
An attorney for Ashley and Robert Eldredge did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Oxygen. The couple’s next court date is April 7.