SANPETE COUNTY, Utah — A Sanpete County father has been arrested and accused of using a cattle prod on his young sons.
The man, who FOX 13 News is not naming to protect the identity of his children, was taken into custody on Thursday after an interview at the county's Children's Justice Center with the father's 7-year-old son.
During the interview, the boy alleged that his father had used an electric cattle prod on him and his 9-year-old brother on more than 10 occasions over the past year, and as recently as this month.
The boy said the father used the cattle prod as a disciplinary tool, and applied it to the arms, legs, stomach and chest of the children. During the interview, the child said when he was struck with the prod, it caused "extreme pain" and felt "like being cut in half."
A separate interview conducted by the Sanpete County Sheriff's Office with the older brother matched the statements of the 7-year-old, with each providing a detailed description of where their father kept the cattle prod in their Mount Pleasant home, as well as the home of their grandfather.
The father was arrested on the counts of child abuse.
