Decatur man pleads guilty, put on probation for whipping kids with belt as punishment
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DECATUR, Ill. (WCIA) — A man from Decatur has pleaded guilty to domestic battery for punching and hitting two boys with a belt.

33-year-old Vincent Owens of Decatur agreed to a plea deal this week for one count of domestic battery, a class 4 felony. Owens will face two years of probation as a part of his sentence.

In a sworn statement, Decatur Police said two boys, one 12-year-old and one 13-year-old, told an officer that Owens headbutted one, punched them in the stomach and hit them both with belts back in June at his house as a punishment for roughhousing. Their mothers, who later picked them up, observed their sons had marks on their bodies from Owens.

As a part of the plea deal, Owens is ordered to have no contact with the boys. He will also have to go to an anger management course.

Decatur Police note in the sworn statement that Owens was previously convicted for a 2017 incident.

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