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Pastor, Brother Held in Texas for Beating Child

Aired July 10, 2002 - 12:28   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: In Texas, bond has been set at $25,000 each for a Baptist pastor and his brother. They're accused of brutally beating a boy after they caught him cheating during Bible studies.

Jitin Hingorani of CNN affiliate News 8 Austin has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JITIN HINGORANI, NEWS 8 AUSTIN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): With their lawyer present, the Thompson brothers surrendered to police, after arrest warrants were issued Monday. Police say the pastors beat an 11-year-old boy with a tree branch last week, because he wasn't taking his Bible studies seriously. The boy is still hospitalized, after being in intensive care for five days. His mother wants justice.

NORMA ARELLANO, CHILD'S MOTHER: He gets me angry, so angry, because he didn't have no right to hold him down and the other one to beat him. That's what -- they don't have a heart.

HINGORANI: The men's father is the head minister at the church. We asked him what he knew about the incident.

PASTOR HANK THOMPSON, CAPITOL CITY BAPTIST CHURCH: My son would have used a think switch. That I'm positive of, because I mean I'm sure of that in their lives. I just know my boys that well. I mean I don't know, my policy would have never been on the back probably like that ever. It would have been on the bottom.

HINGORANI: This woman, who wants to remain unidentified to protect her business, says she's familiar with the church's child disciplinary practices. She says they were preached in the senior Pastor Thompson's sermons.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He would explain how you had to use a rod and because the rod, because you know the belt didn't do it because it would just leave lashes, but the rod would get into the soul, would get into deep down into the skin.

HINGORANI: The woman says she was a member of Capitol City Baptist Church for ten years, but says she left soon after she understood the church's philosophy on what she called breaking a child. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everybody had a different, you know, way of telling you how the will was broke. Some of them would say, well the will's broke if they don't move anymore, and some of them would say the will is broke if they just faint.

If you spank them until they just have no -- no more energy in them. And I left because I just couldn't take it.

HINGORANI: Former church members tell us if you obey the rules, you can earn this book called "What the Bible Says About Child Training," which advocates using the rod as a means of punishment. And then you can get your own paddle, with holes to inflict more pain.

ARELLANO: I don't do this to my children. My husband don't do this to my children. Why should anybody else do this to my kids?

HINGORANI: A question police are asking the suspects in this case.

Jitin Hingorani, News 8, Austin.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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