Mother accused of body-bumping daughter during chicken spat charged with child abuse

A Florida woman repeatedly body-bumped her 17-year-old daughter after the teenager refused to give her younger brother a piece of chicken, police said. Monique Dent, 35, was arrested and charged with child abuse without great harm on Saturday at her residence in South Daytona, according to a police report.

Dent’s daughter came home just before 1:30pm with a bag of chicken and passed out a piece to everyone in the house. The teen however, did not give a piece of chicken to her 7-year-old brother. Angered, Dent approached her daughter and began bumping her with her body.



The girl locked herself in her bedroom but Dent managed to open the door and put her body up against the teenager again. The teen pushed her mother away and went into the living room, grabbing a cross. Dent then began bumping up against her daughter again, until both mother and daughter fell to the floor and began wrestling, police said.

The teenager bit Dent’s hand when Dent covered the girl’s mouth. There were two other children - two girls ages 10 and 16 - in the house, as well, police said. Dent was arrested and taken to the Volusia County Branch Jail, but was released on her own recognizance at her first appearance hearing on Sunday.