A 36-year-old Missouri father, Maurice Fox, is accused of entering a school bus, confronting a girl, and instructing his 6-year-old daughter to hit her repeatedly.
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According to court documents cited by KSDK, the incident occurred on Thursday, October 9. At around 9 a.m., Fox allegedly entered a school bus on Frost Drive in Ferguson, Missouri, and instructed his daughter to hit a fellow student.
Video footage obtained by the outlet shows Fox entering the bus and confronting the alleged victim. “Hey, don’t put your hands on my daughter no more,” he is heard saying. “‘Cause if I find out you’re touching her again, your parents will have to talk to me.”
Then, the video shows Fox telling his daughter, “What do you do?”
The 6-year-old proceeded to throw multiple punches at the girl, as seen in the footage. Fox interjects twice, telling the child, “Again,” and “I want her crying. Again,” while his daughter continues the beatdown.
Finally, the beating stops, and Fox and his daughter are seen exiting the school bus.
Father Arrested
Following the incident, Maurice Fox was arrested and charged with felony harassment, and three misdemeanor counts: trespass of a school bus and two counts of fourth-degree assault.
One of the counts is for the girl, while the other is for the school bus driver, as Fox allegedly pushed the driver’s arm away when he told Fox to get off the bus.
“This incident is disturbing and completely unacceptable,” Ferguson Police Chief Troy Doyle said, as per First Alert 4. “We have made several attempts to contact the parent, but he has avoided all efforts to speak with our detectives.”
Chief Doyle mentioned that Fox created a GoFundMe to raise funds for his legal defense. The fundraiser, however, has since been pulled and is no longer accessible.
Meanwhile, the Ferguson-Florissant School District shared a statement with the aforementioned outlets. District officials are aware of the incident and are fully cooperating with law enforcement.
“Student and staff safety is always our top priority, and we will not tolerate anything that compromises their safety,” the statement read. “School buses are an extension of the school campus. Trespassing on a school bus and engaging in the behavior described in this incident are completely unacceptable.”
Additionally, St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Melissa Price Smith detailed that additional charges or amendments are expected.