Arizona 9-year-old allegedly handcuffed to table, beaten with tree branch by parents, court documents say

TOLLESON, Ariz. — An Arizona nine-year-old boy was allegedly handcuffed to a table and beaten with a tree branch by his mother and stepfather, according to court documents.

A nine-year-old student at a Tolleson-area elementary school reported to a school nurse that his stepfather allegedly handcuffed him to a dining room table and covered his mouth while his mother hit him with a tree branch multiple times. 

The nurse saw visible injuries on the child, and the Tolleson Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Bureau and the Arizona Department of Child Safety were notified. 

The child then told authorities his stepfather is a juvenile corrections officer, and his stepfather allegedly was disciplining him for an incident that happened on the school bus previously. Court documents state the stepfather “wanted to show him what happens to bad kids.”

The victim’s sister, who was also interviewed, said her brother came into their shared bedroom crying and with injuries, and that her mother had previously used a stick from their backyard to hit her brother on his hands. 

The stepfather and the mother told police vastly different versions of the incident, according to court documents. They were both arrested shortly after their interviews.

Tolleson police served a search warrant on the home and the stepfather’s car, finding the duty handcuffs allegedly used to restrain the child, a wooden stick approximately two feet long with a slight curve to it, and two different belts.

The Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections confirmed to 12News that the child’s stepfather was a former employee of the department. 

He was hired as a Youth Corrections Officer with the department October 20, 2025 and terminated May 7 after the department learned of his arrest due to off-duty conduct. 

“As an agency committed to the rehabilitation and safeguarding of youth in our care, the Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections takes seriously all allegations made against our personnel,” the department said in a statement to 12News. 

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