Man beat his three children because none of them would own up to who had farted in the car

A man with three children in a car got angry because no one would say which child passed gas so he beat them all with a belt, sheriff's investigators said. Austin Davis, 32, was arrested and charged with three counts of aggravated child abuse.

Deputies were called to a house  near DeLand, Florida, on Dec. 15. A woman at the home told deputies that one of the children said they were whipped because they would not tell Davis who passed gas in the car. The woman reported to deputies that the children had multiple black bruises on their legs, thighs and buttocks.



Photographs of the injuries were shown to deputies. The pictures showed a 6-year-old with several dark bruises on the buttocks, legs and thighs. A 12-year-old had dark bruises on his legs and thighs. A 9-year-old refused to have pictures of his bruises taken because he feared retaliation if Davis found out he reported the incident, the report states.

When interviewed by an investigator with the Department of Children & Families, the children said they were whipped on Thanksgiving Day weekend. The children told the DCF investigator that Davis got angry because someone passed gas while in the car and would not own up to it, deputies said.