ATLANTA (AP) — A Stone Mountain man was found guilty of second degree child cruelty Tuesday for slapping a crying 2-year-old at a Georgia Walmart last fall.
Roger Stephens was convicted in a Gwinnett County bench trial, which are held without a jury and the defense does not dispute evidence presented by prosecutors.
Stephens, who was 61 when arrested, will spend six months in the Gwinnett County Jail followed by six months of home confinement.
Sonya Mathews said her 2-year-old daughter was sick and sitting in the shopping cart when Stephens approached them in the Stone Mountain store and said “If you don’t shut that baby up, I will shut her up for you.”
Soon after, in another aisle, Stephens grabbed the 2-year-old and slapped her across the face four or five times.
According to police, Stephens said: “See, I told you I would shut her up,” after hitting the girl.
A call to Stephens’ court appointed lawyer, Kelley Kautz, was not returned Tuesday.
During his home confinement, Stephens has been ordered to have a mental evaluation and treatment followed by four years of probation and no unsupervised time alone with children under the age of twelve.
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