On December 11, 2024, authorities arrested two Florida parents in Osceola County after the father, Lance Eugene Rachel, 42, allegedly beat up their child over a misplaced couch cushion and for lying about it. Police arrested Rachel and charged him with aggravated child abuse as well as Rachel's wife, Kimberly Corene Rachel, 35, for failure to report the incident.
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According to the Osceola County Sheriff's Office, the incident occurred days before the arrests, on December 7 at a Kissimmee home. "The suspect was angry about a couch cushion being displaced and accused the victim of lying," the Osceola County Sheriff's Office said in a statement on Facebook. "The suspect maliciously punished the child by screaming obscenities and physically abusing the victim over the course of 28 minutes."
Moreover, authorities detailed the alleged abuse, by saying that Lance Rachel struck his child "over 50 times with a belt." On top of that, he would also choke and call "several disparaging names and other obscenities." Rachel would then threaten the victim of breaking his jaw, according to police. Part of the alleged abuse was captured on in-home surveillance cameras, per the press release.
"Corporal punishment on your child is one thing, but child abuse and going too far is against the law," Osceola County Sheriff Marcos R. Lopez said in a video posted alongside the Osceola County press release.
Arrested and Charged
Following Rachel's arrest, authorities reported that Rachel confirmed the abuse on Monday, December 16. Authorities charged Lance Eugene Rachel with aggravated child abuse, battery by strangulation, and failure to report child abuse. Authorities would also charge Rachel's wife, Kimberly, with failure to report child abuse.
There is no information regarding the child's identity and age. Given the nature of the alleged abuse, many users reacted to the Osceola County Sheriff's Office post.
"Lock them up, throw away the key; absolutely no excuse for that kind of abuse. I pray the child never has to live with them again," one user said. "Motion your hand 50 times in how you would swing a belt and tell me how you'd feel about it," a second user said. "That's aggravated without a doubt."
