The case created quite a bit of controversy, but on Tuesday night, an Orange County jury found Devery M. Broox not guilty of abusing a then 7-year-old boy.
Broox, 26, was accused of abusing a the boy when he beat the child with a belt, shaved his head and eyebrows and had him do military style exercises. His defense argued that it was a case of tough love and that he had been given permission by the boy’s grandmother to discipline the child, by whatever means necessary.
Broox, who was a mentor to the child, took his role seriously. He said the boy had been misbehaving in school and had been troublesome to his teachers. While he had withheld favors from the child, he said the boy’s behaviour was getting worse. That’s when he employed physical discipline to bring the child into line.
Authorities became aware of the boy being physically disciplined by Broox, after he posted a video on Youtube, which immediately went viral. The video sparked a debate on how far one ought to go in disciplining a child.
The boy, now 8-years-old, who testified on Tuesday, recalled the “whooping” with he got from Broox, with a belt. He said he was sad about it and also the video that had been made public. But he also said, he missed his mentor and the many treats he had received from him.
Upon his acquittal, Broox admitted he made a mistake when he posted the video on YouTube. He said he would think about such actions and the case, in particular, should a similar situation arise in the future.
