A Washington County man was arrested this week on the charge of child abuse. Austin James Johnson was not physically seen in court on Friday, but he was given a bond of $25,000 and a return court date of next Monday, Oct. 16^th.

According to an affidavit, Johnson decided to discipline the minor victim after finding out they had broken a school handbook rule by having Pokémon cards in their backpack. During a forensic interview, the victim told interviewers that Johnson took the victims belt from his waist and started hitting him with it.

The victim said that Johnson only stopped because Johnson’s wife entered the room. The victim showed the interviewer markings they had on their body from the alleged beatings. Photographs were taken showing bruising on the victim’s hip, inner thigh, right arm, back and chest areas. Johnson will be seen again next Monday on the same charge.