Woman found guilty in child punishment case
WOODBURY, Minn. -- The Woodbury woman accused of delivering an unusual punishment to her boyfriend’s daughter was convicted by a jury last week of malicious punishment and domestic assault.
Prosecutors alleged Ahavel Scherz, 27, made the13-year-old girl kneel on a kitchen floor while holding a chair above her head. When the girl couldn’t keep the chair aloft, the Scherz struck her with a wooden spoon, the charges alleged. The girl was left with bruises on her arms and legs.
The next day, Scherz wrote the girl’s name on a T-shirt that also included the phrase “I am a thief.” The girl was forced to wear the shirt to school. School officials reported the incident to police.
The girl’s father, Garrett Scott Jensen, also was charged in the case. Jensen is charged with malicious punishment of a child, a gross misdemeanor, and misdemeanor domestic assault. According to a criminal complaint, he was in “complete agreement” with the discipline, which he oversaw.
The case is set for a Nov. 7 sentencing.