Marine
01-03-2003, 5:39am
FRAMINGHAM - A Framingham man accused of restraining his wife while she tried to call police to report her husband had poured liquid soap in their 4-year-old son's mouth calls the incident a misunderstanding.
Christopher Scabia, 34, is charged with one count of domestic assault and battery and one count of intimidating a witness in connection with the incident. He wonders why the situation has gotten so much attention.
"I've been made to look like I abused my wife," Scabia told reporters after his arraignment yesterday in Framingham District Court. "We don't really hit our children ever."
Scabia pleaded innocent and was released on personal recognizance after his arraignment. He is scheduled for a Jan. 24 pretrial conference.
Police say Scabia held down his wife for 15 minutes while she tried to get to a phone and dial 911 Friday night.
Scabia said his wife came toward him first, and he was holding her off.
"My wife pushed me, and I said to her, 'This isn't really something you need to be involved with,' " said Scabia.
The husband and wife had talked in the past about using the soap as punishment for their children, he said.
Scabia's wife told police she questioned her husband about his disciplinary tactics in the bathroom of the couple's Sloane Drive home around 10 p.m. Police could not say what caused Scabia to put the soap in his son's mouth.
Scabia said his wife has threatened to use the soap as a deterrent when the children acted up in the past, so he was merely following through on what they had discussed.
The Scabias called police yesterday and told them they didn't want to talk to reporters. After seeing a newspaper photographer parked in their driveway, the Scabias reported it to police. A cruiser arrived and told the photographer he couldn't park on their property.
The couple did not return phone calls seeking comment.
Police said Scabia pushed his wife and then held her down after she threatened to call police. The couple's two older children, aged 6 and 8, jumped on their father's back to get him off their mother, police said.
Scabia characterized the incident as "a minor dispute" between him and his wife. Officers contacted the Department of Social Services about the incident.
Dr. Andrew Baumel of Framingham Pediatrics said Scabia's approach is "not a very effective method of punishment. The soap has nothing to do with (the child's bad behavior)."
"What parents need to do is discipline - or teach - their children that something is wrong," said Baumel, a veteran pediatrician. "When you punish them (instead of disciplining them), it has no connection to the crime.
"The kids just learn to be scared of their parents. They don't learn that the behavior is bad," he said.
http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/news/local_regional/fram_soap12312002.htm
Christopher Scabia, 34, is charged with one count of domestic assault and battery and one count of intimidating a witness in connection with the incident. He wonders why the situation has gotten so much attention.
"I've been made to look like I abused my wife," Scabia told reporters after his arraignment yesterday in Framingham District Court. "We don't really hit our children ever."
Scabia pleaded innocent and was released on personal recognizance after his arraignment. He is scheduled for a Jan. 24 pretrial conference.
Police say Scabia held down his wife for 15 minutes while she tried to get to a phone and dial 911 Friday night.
Scabia said his wife came toward him first, and he was holding her off.
"My wife pushed me, and I said to her, 'This isn't really something you need to be involved with,' " said Scabia.
The husband and wife had talked in the past about using the soap as punishment for their children, he said.
Scabia's wife told police she questioned her husband about his disciplinary tactics in the bathroom of the couple's Sloane Drive home around 10 p.m. Police could not say what caused Scabia to put the soap in his son's mouth.
Scabia said his wife has threatened to use the soap as a deterrent when the children acted up in the past, so he was merely following through on what they had discussed.
The Scabias called police yesterday and told them they didn't want to talk to reporters. After seeing a newspaper photographer parked in their driveway, the Scabias reported it to police. A cruiser arrived and told the photographer he couldn't park on their property.
The couple did not return phone calls seeking comment.
Police said Scabia pushed his wife and then held her down after she threatened to call police. The couple's two older children, aged 6 and 8, jumped on their father's back to get him off their mother, police said.
Scabia characterized the incident as "a minor dispute" between him and his wife. Officers contacted the Department of Social Services about the incident.
Dr. Andrew Baumel of Framingham Pediatrics said Scabia's approach is "not a very effective method of punishment. The soap has nothing to do with (the child's bad behavior)."
"What parents need to do is discipline - or teach - their children that something is wrong," said Baumel, a veteran pediatrician. "When you punish them (instead of disciplining them), it has no connection to the crime.
"The kids just learn to be scared of their parents. They don't learn that the behavior is bad," he said.
http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/news/local_regional/fram_soap12312002.htm