A Bartlesville man has been charged with child abuse after allegedly spanking a five year old girl with excessive force.

This past Saturday, Robert Pierson had put the girl to bed when he heard crying. Pierson then entered the room to spank the child. The mother, who was in the other room, heard two loud swats and the child was crying louder for her mother.

Pierson swatted her again and yelled, “I'm not even going to hit you again because it would be like hitting a mentally retarded person. You're just being stupid.”

When the mother called the police on Monday, officers looked at the child and noticed heavy bruising on the right butt cheek. The bruise looked to be from an open hand. The injuries were approximately 43 hours after the spanking occurred.

When meeting with Pierson, he admitted to spanking the child, but did not admit to using excessive force. Bond for Pierson is set at $11,500 and his next court date is scheduled for Friday, May 3.