Royal man arrested on felony battery charge for injuries to daughter
Sheriff’s files
STEVEN MROSS
The Sentinel-Record staff
A Royal man was arrested on a felony battery charge Thursday after an investigation into injuries sustained by his 11-year-old daughter, allegedly during a beating with a belt.
Ross William Kennedy, 60, of 136 Rocking Chair Trail, was taken into custody at his residence around 3:30 p.m. and charged with second-degree domestic battery, a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Kennedy, who lists no prior criminal history, was later released on $3,500 bond and is set to appear April 1 in Garland County District Court. Judge David Switzer issued a court order barring Kennedy from contact with the victim or her school.
According to the affidavit, shortly before 11 a.m., Garland County Sheriff ’s investigator Kenny Ford met with GCSD Deputy Jeremy Simpson at Lake Hamilton Intermediate School, 104 Wolf St., where school officials, including Assistant Principal Matthew Winston were reporting a juvenile had been struck in the face with a belt by her father.
Ford made contact with Simpson and Winston and Winston told him the victim’s teacher had seen the victim and noticed she had a black eye. She asked her what happened and the juvenile allegedly told her that her father had struck with a belt.
The teacher took the victim to the nurse’s office and the nurse notified school officials who then contacted the sheriff’s department.
Ford spoke to the victim who stated on Tuesday evening she had been told to wait for her parents to finish eating their dinner before she was allowed to eat. She said she began to scream causing her father to become angry.
She said her father struck her numerous times with his belt across her face. The next day, her father reportedly told her she was not going to school. Ford noted the victim had visible abrasions and bruising to her face and upper left arm.
Simpson and Ford later made contact with Kennedy at his residence and when they arrived he reportedly stated he knew why they were there. When asked if he wanted to explain what happened, Kennedy allegedly stated he was disciplining his daughter and told her to lay on the bed on her stomach and they “had an accident.”
The victim reportedly told deputies her mother had left the residence before the incident where the injuries occurred.
The report notes the suspect had no prior history of domestic violence involving the victim.
