Mother Acquitted in Slapping Case

A woman who twice slapped her 18-year-old daughter in the face was acquitted of assault charges in a case that raised questions about parental discipline and abuse. A four-woman, two-man jury in Howell District Court acquitted Deborah Skousen, 47, of a misdemeanor charge of aggravated domestic violence. “This was permissible parental discipline,” her attorney, Michael Manley, said. But prosecutors said Skousen crossed a line when she twice slapped her daughter, Rebecca, after she had stayed out all night last spring.