Mother Found Guilty of Child Abuse in Spanking

A woman who spanked her daughter with a belt more than a dozen times because she believed the girl had stolen money from a wallet at school was found guilty of a misdemeanor child abuse charge.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Alexis Fasteau told jurors that Ora Lombard “lacked the proper regard for the life of her daughter.” Deputy Public Defender Greg Sloan, however, told jurors that his client had simply made an unintentional mistake.

Lombard used the belt in January 2001, leaving red welts on the 9-year-old girl’s arm and face.

Lombard’s daughter testified that her mother had struck her on the arm and face with the belt accidentally while she was twisting and turning to avoid being spanked on the bottom.

The girl also testified that she cried before and during the spanking, which Fasteau told jurors “reflected the girl’s mental suffering.”