An Indiana man has been arrested after authorities say he tried to punish a 7-year-old boy by putting a bar of soap in the child’s mouth for using a profanity.
Daniel Schergen, 34, allegedly forced the soap into the boy’s mouth during an August car trip after the child called him a “motherf—er,” according to an affidavit reviewed by People.
Schergen told police he was driving with his girlfriend and four children when the 7-year-old became upset and began acting out, the affidavit states.
While the group was heading to Dunkin’, authorities said the boy began hitting another child in the back seat.
Schergen reached toward the back of the vehicle in an effort to stop the child. The boy then allegedly directed the profanity at him, according to the document.
Schergen pulled into a Dollar General, asked his girlfriend to buy a bar of soap and then allegedly pushed it into the boy’s mouth. The affidavit says the bar also struck the child in the forehead.
The child was left with a bruise on his right ear and redness on the right side of his face. Schergen reportedly told investigators the injuries resulted from holding the boy’s head down against the car seat.
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When the 7-year-old began bleeding, Schergen’s girlfriend provided first aid, according to the affidavit.
During questioning by the LaPorte County Sheriff’s Office, Schergen said he did not know how the boy had suffered the bruise to his ear, the document states.
He also described the child as having a “temper” and told police the boy had recently been suspended from school for striking other students, according to the affidavit.
Court records show that Schergen faces a domestic battery charge and was released after posting a $750 bond.
He is scheduled to return to court on Jan. 6, court records indicate.
Authorities have not disclosed Schergen’s relationship to the child.
Information about an attorney representing Schergen was not immediately available.