Police in Washington state arrested a man Sunday on suspicion of repeatedly beating his 7-year-old daughter with a belt and waterboarding her for misbehaving.
Officers responded to a 7-Eleven in Lakewood after a woman claimed her boyfriend, Matthew Farrar, 27, had spanked his daughter with a belt approximately 13 times and waterboarded her at their shared home. The woman claimed the girl was screaming “bloody murder” with each strike, according to court documents obtained by NBC News.
Farrar allegedly then dragged the 7-year-old to the bathroom. There, he forced her to lean face up in a bathtub and poured water onto a hand towel that was covering the girl’s face—including her mouth and nose, the news station reported.
The girlfriend claimed Farrar poured water over his daughter’s face for 15 to 20 seconds as she cried, gasped for air, and said she couldn’t breathe.
“That’s the point, shut up before the neighbors hear,” the father allegedly responded.
The Lakewood Patch reported that he only stopped waterboarding his daughter after she said, “I don’t want to die.”
The girlfriend was said to have taken the girl and fled to 7-Eleven after Farrar told her to change her wet clothes.
Police said they were speaking with the “stunned” witness when they learned Farrar was on his way to the 7-Eleven. Officers took him into custody before he arrived, according to the outlet.
Farrar allegedly admitted to spanking and waterboarding his daughter, telling police that the punishment “could have been a little too much.” NBC News reported that authorities recovered a hand towel, water bottle, and soaked dress from the home.
Farrar was charged with child abuse. A court date was scheduled for May 28.
[Featured image: Matthew Farrar/Facebook]
