Nobody believed the boys were being abused until they posted a video on social media
Two Puyallup boys who were afraid of their mother’s boyfriend used social media to prove he was abusing them, records say.
Deputies were called to the family’s home Oct. 15 after a 13-year-old boy called 911 to report that his mom’s boyfriend had choked him.
The boy told deputies his mom and her boyfriend were trying to talk to him about his “recent behavior” but he walked off to his bedroom, according to charging papers.
His mom’s boyfriend allegedly followed the boy, yelled and spit in his face, choked him and followed him out of the house after the boy ran to a friend’s house for help.
When deputies arrived at the house, the boys’ mother said her boyfriend held her youngest son down but denied he choked the boy.
The next day, two of the boys’ classmates called deputies after watching a 10-minute video of the incident posted on Instagram by the victim’s 14-year-old brother.
The video showed the boyfriend screaming in the boy’s face and punching him in the chin before choking him with an arm bar, records show.
The mother can allegedly be seen standing behind her boyfriend watching but not intervening. The older brother can be heard yelling to leave his brother alone.
When asked about the video posted on social media, the older brother said, “We don’t like him, he hits us, so I put it on Instagram so people would believe us,” court documents show.
The 13-year-old said it was the third time his mother’s boyfriend assaulted him.
Child Protective Services interviewed both boys and removed them from their home.
The boyfriend “admitted things had gone further than he planned and said he would take classes or do whatever he needed to do,” records show.
Pierce County prosecutors on Monday charged the 32-year-old with second-degree child assault. He is scheduled to appear in court Feb. 5.
Stacia Glenn: 253-597-8653
This story was originally published January 23, 2018 at 10:33 AM with the headline "Nobody believed the boys were being abused until they posted a video on social media."