According to reports, a police lieutenant in Daytona Beach Shores, Florida, allegedly handcuffed and placed their own 3-year-old son in a jail cell due to potty training difficulties.
Lt. Michael Schoenbrod of the Daytona Beach Shores Police Department admitted to taking his son to the police headquarters in October, where he allegedly placed him in a jail cell. Bodycam video from a Volusia County Sheriff’s Office deputy and memos from Public Safety Director Michael Fowler support these claims, as cited by the Daytona Beach News-Journal.
The child was reportedly incarcerated twice, first on October 5 and again the following day, as Schoenbrod believed this disciplinary measure would be effective. In the video, Schoenbrod was allegedly heard stating, “It’s just disgusting that somebody would drag our family through the mud like this,” while his partner and the boy’s mother, Det. Sgt. Jessica Long referred to the investigation as “insane.”
According to Schoenbrod, the child cried during the incident, and he considered the response to be appropriate and effective in teaching him a lesson. The lieutenant claimed that his son promised to never have potty training accidents again after being detained.
Schoenbrod also reportedly admitted that approximately nine years ago, he had incarcerated his then-4-year-old son for hitting a girl in preschool.
The details of the cases remain confidential due to motions for confidentiality filed within the cases, as stated by Antonio Jaimes, an attorney with the Volusia County Clerk of Court’s Office.
It is unclear at this time whether Schoenbrod and Long will face disciplinary actions. The Daytona Beach news journal’s requests for comments from Schoenbrod, Long, and their attorney, Michael Lambert, have gone unanswered.
