Posted May 15, 200520 yr Oh great just when you thought city council had enough problems... City Council Member Faces Domestic Violence Charges Reported by: 9News Web produced by: Neil Relyea Photographed by: 9News 5/14/2005 5:35:35 PM A Cincinnati city council member faces domestic violence charges for allegedly beating his teenage son who was treated for his injuries at Childrens Hospital Medical Center. Police say Cincinnati city council member Sam Malone beat his 14-year-old son with a belt at a Walnut Hills residence where Malone recently moved. "I met with him a couple of days ago, just last week," said Nick Jebril, a local store owner. "He seems like a nice, young man, strong man. I like his attitude. Just shocked to hear such a thing happened." www.wcpo.com
May 16, 200520 yr Ordered not to contact boy, 14, struck with belt By Dan Horn Enquirer staff writer Cincinnati City Councilman Sam Malone was arrested Saturday after police accused him of beating his 14-year-old son with a belt. Malone pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor domestic violence charge and was released after spending about eight hours at the Hamilton County Justice Center. Malone described the incident as "parental intervention" brought about by a disciplinary problem at his son's school on Friday. "Our children cannot be expected to act in a disrespectful way to teachers and other individuals in positions of authority," Malone said Saturday in a prepared statement. "Proper discipline is an important and necessary component of good parenting." http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050515/NEWS01/505150410
May 16, 200520 yr After learning more of the situation, I realize he went overboard. I am all for spanking but not beating.
May 16, 200520 yr A police report said Malone hit his son Friday night with a belt, causing injuries that included swelling to the chest, arms, back and buttocks. sounds like a bit more than a spanking to me. he'll receive no applause from me.
May 16, 200520 yr I don't think Sam should resign his seat, as some have called for. I think he went overboard and crossed the line from appropriate to inappropriate punishment. But he got on a radio interview (i heard it this morning, don't know when it was taped) and stood his ground, saying that everything he did was justified to discipline his son. I completely agree with him that discipline (especially of teens) is critically important. We've all met plenty of people who could've used more of it growing up. He should at least acknowledge that he overstepped the bounds.
May 16, 200520 yr If someone argues that things aren't as they appear, I can buy that, bide my time and wait to see what shakes out. But if someone argues that yes, things are as they appear - he beat his 14-year-old son with a belt, raised welts and bruises - but that's okay, because it's discipline, don't you see? No, I don't buy that. Spanking is corporal punishment; smaking a toddler's hand is corporal punishment; perhaps, in the most extreme cases, a slap on the face could be corporal punishment. Hitting a kid with a belt and raising welts on his back, his arms and his chest - that's assault. It's a shame he's a high profile individual - the most important thing here is the family, keeping the kid from getting fucked up by the situation - since this ordeal will play out in the public eye, I suspect true healing is impossible, and that's a shame. For that reason, I'd think his resignation is the best plan - if you want to protect your family, you get them to a safe place first, then start rebuilding things - and that safe place is in privacy, with whatever help you can get. The fact that he seems determined to let this play out in public tells us something about his priorities, it seems to me. And that's fine - bad people can set wise policy for the city, and good people can set foolish policy for the city. I just don't think it's the decision I'd make in this situation.
May 16, 200520 yr This story could get ugly really fast. I don't really know all of the details (who does?), so I'll withhold comment. Here's a story from channel 5 from today: Son Threatened To Kill Malone, Himself, Aunt Says City Councilmember Arrested After Allegedly Beating Teen POSTED: 1:49 am EDT May 16, 2005 UPDATED: 10:38 am EDT May 16, 2005 CINCINNATI -- Sam Malone's 14-year-old son thought up a plan to kill the city councilmember and threatened to kill himself after Malone allegedly beat him with a belt last week, the boy's maternal aunt claimed in an interview with News 5's Courtis Fuller. Melinda Wreh said she took the boy back to Children's Hospital after hearing the threat. Copyright 2005 by ChannelCincinnati.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. http://www.channelcincinnati.com/news/4491788/detail.html
May 17, 200520 yr I heard comments on this on the radio this morning and i was amazed by the people that praised Malone for strict dicipline. Raising welts on a kids back by hitting him with a belt is abuse plain and simple. Dicipline is one thing but abuse is another and the thought that he could be praised for abusing a kid is beyond me. I also think i read somewhere that children do not react in as positive as a mannor when diciplined physically...
May 17, 200520 yr Again I've know Sam and Chris for years this is a situation that should have been private there are things that the media has messed up and there are clearly points not being brought to light because this situation is complex. The media needs to let Sam, Chris and the families work this stuff out. Chris receives no benefit from having himself paraded onto the news and essentially exploited.
May 17, 200520 yr Again I've know Sam and Chris for years this is a situation that should have been private Well, that ain't gonna happen. I honestly wish it could - the publicity is probably the worst thing for the situation, and I really don't see how his family life impacts his work in setting policy for the city. If were convicted of a crime, then perhaps - but even if that were the case, it's months away. But the fact is, it's America in 2005 - wishing this could be a private matter is like wishing nobody would bother covering celebrity trials - it just ain't gonna happen. At least not while he still holds elected office.
May 17, 200520 yr If you hit someone with a belt it is going to leave a mark. This is nothing new. I have been hit/beat with a belt before and it left a mark.
May 17, 200520 yr Here's today's Enquirer article: Malone wants reunion Son said he's scared to return By Gregory Korte and Jane Prendergast Enquirer staff writers Councilman Sam Malone returned to work at City Hall on Monday after a weekend in which he was arrested, jailed and arraigned on a charge of domestic violence, saying his top priority "is the reunification of me and my boy." But in a tearful 911 call released Monday, his son told a police dispatcher he was afraid that after police came, he might have to return home. "My dad, he's on council," the 14-year-old said. "I'm gonna be in more trouble." Dan Horn contributed to this report E-mail [email protected] and [email protected]. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050517/NEWS01/505170367/1056/rss02
May 17, 200520 yr All I know is that the kid better have been "beat" because if it was my kid and I didn't beat him and was playing this up and he was ruining my career you better believe he would be beat after I got a hold of him.
May 17, 200520 yr Beat on the brat..beat on the brat...beat on the brat with a baseball bat! oh yeah~~! oh yeah~~! Sorry had that song in my head :-D
May 18, 200520 yr This whole thing is getting pretty ugly! From the 5/18/05 Cincinnati Post: Sam Malone charged in 1991 with hitting mom By Kevin Osborne Post staff reporter Currently facing a criminal charge that he abused his teen-age son, Cincinnati City Council Member Sam Malone was charged with domestic violence 14 years ago for allegedly choking and hitting his mother. Malone's mother, Drucilla Malone, filed the charge against him in June 1991 after an altercation at her Bond Hill home. http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050518/NEWS01/505180362
May 18, 200520 yr So do I have this right? The 11-year-old son of Malone's fiancée called to report the incident?
May 20, 200520 yr In the interest of fairness, I thought I should post this article from the 5/20/05 Cincinnati Post: Malone's mother says past is past By Kevin Osborne Post staff reporter Cincinnati City Council Member Sam Malone's mother is upset over publicity about an incident involving police being called to her home when Malone choked and hit her 14 years ago. As The Post first reported Wednesday, Sam Malone was charged with domestic violence in June 1991 for physically fighting with his mother, Drucilla Malone, at her Bond Hill home. Drucilla Malone pressed the criminal charge against her son at the time. http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050519/NEWS01/505190359/1010/RSS01
May 31, 200520 yr From the 5/31/05 Enquirer: PHOTO: Sam Malone (center) talks with Bond Hill leaders outside the Bond Hill Market. Included are Phil Waller, Sonny Lewis and retired Cincinnati Lt. Aaron Taylor. Malone chief of staff Stephen Hill is on Malone's right. The Enquirer/Michael E. Keating PHOTO #2 PHOTO #3 Belt whipping of son brings support, jeers Confident and hard-working, Sam Malone keeps to his rounds as domestic violence case plays out By Allen Howard Enquirer staff writer BOND HILL - The conversations at Image Makers barbershop in Bond Hill are usually about sports, politics or women. But on a recent Friday at the shop in Jordan Crossing Shopping Center, the talk among the men was about family discipline - when and if a child should be paddled and what constitutes excessive punishment. Sitting quietly in the first chair at the shop was the very man whose case was being tried by his barbershop peers: Cincinnati City Councilman Sam Malone, arrested May 14 for striking his 14-year-old son with a belt. "Out here in the 'hood, sometimes if a problem is not corrected at home, it will end up in the hands of the police," said Avery Woolfolk, 41, a single dad of one son." http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050531/NEWS01/505310343/1056/rss02
July 6, 200519 yr Here's the latest on this story from the 7/6/05 Enquirer: Malone's son details 'discipline' Councilman accused of beating teen with a belt By Sharon Coolidge and Jane Prendergast Enquirer staff writers The night Cincinnati City Councilman Sam Malone is accused of beating his son with a belt, he told the 14-year-old boy: "I'm not finished with you," according to Hamilton County court documents. Malone, who has pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor charge of domestic violence, was upset that his son was late to a checkpoint while on a school field trip at Paramount's Kings Island on May 13, according to the boy's statement to police. E-mail [email protected] or [email protected] http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050706/NEWS01/507060364
July 7, 200519 yr Bruses on chest and arms sound like child abuse to me. :shoot: Sam Malone needs discipline
July 8, 200519 yr I agree... I got spanked a few times in childhood, and in my teens my mom once or twice slapped my face for mouthing off (which didn't teach me anything, I just learned to dodge away after making a smart-aleck comment!). But nothing that ever left BRUISES. That definitely is crossing the line.
July 9, 200519 yr I hate to keep beating a dead horse here, but I'm going to keep posting all of the developments on this topic until it plays out. What effect will this have on Sam Malone, the politician? From the 7/9/05 Enquirer: Son says Malone hit him in '02 Incident was reported to Job & Family Services By Sharon Coolidge Enquirer staff writer Cincinnati City Councilman Sam Malone's son said Friday that his father beat him with a belt in 2002 - prompting a call from a school official to Hamilton County's child protection workers, who investigated. Malone, who is charged with misdemeanor domestic violence after his son alleged that his father hit him with a belt this May, has said he was not aware of the 2002 allegation. E-mail [email protected] MULTIMEDIA • Sam Malone media release (PDF) http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050709/NEWS01/507090377/1056
January 26, 200619 yr From the 1/25/06 Cincinnati Post: Judge refuses to dismiss Malone case By Tony Cook Post staff reporter Prosecutors won a small victory in former Cincinnati Councilman Sam Malone's domestic abuse trial Tuesday when a judge refused to dismiss the charge after prosecutors wound up their case. The decision came after a Cincinnati police officer testified that the beating with a belt that Malone gave his 14-year-old son May 13 at their Walnut Hills home was one of the worst domestic violence cases he had ever witnessed. "In the past situations where I have been on runs, I have never been able to observe injuries to the extent (Malone's son) had," said Officer James Mathews, who was the first to answer a 911 call from Malone's home. http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060125/NEWS01/601250342
January 27, 200619 yr As of this posting, an Enquirer poll asking whether or not Malone should be on trial for this was at about 66% "NO": http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060126/NEWS01/301250010/1056/rss02 From the 1/26/06 Enquirer: PHOTO: Former Cincinnati City Councilman Sam Malone shows during his testimony Wednesday in Hamilton County Municipal Court how he held his son's arm while he attempted to hit his buttocks with a belt. Photos By Gary Landers/the Enquirer PHOTO: Malone Crime or punishment? He testifies he wanted to teach - but not injure - his teenage son BY SHARON COOLIDGE | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER Former Cincinnati City Councilman Sam Malone on Wednesday defended whipping his son with a belt, explaining during his trial on a charge of domestic violence that he wanted to teach the teenager not to disrespect authority. During three hours of testimony, Malone said at least three times that he was disappointed - not angry - at his 14-year-old son for disrespecting a teacher during a school field trip to Paramount's Kings Island on May 13. "I told (my son), and he probably didn't believe me, that it hurt me more than it hurt him," Malone said. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060126/NEWS01/601260361/1056/rss02
January 28, 200619 yr From the 1/28/06 Enquirer: Malone pictures to be made public BY DAN HORN | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER Photos of former City Councilman Sam Malone's son can be made public because they are evidence in Malone's domestic-violence trial, a judge ruled Friday. Prosecutors used the photos at Malone's trial last week to show the extent of the 14-year-old boy's injuries. E-mail [email protected] http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060128/NEWS01/601280364/1056/rss02
February 17, 200619 yr From the 2/17/06 Enquirer: Malone innocent of abusing son BY SHERRY COOLIDGE | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER Former Cincinnati City Councilman Sam Malone was not committing a crime when he beat his 14-year-old son with a belt last May. Hamilton County Municipal Court Judge Russell Mock found Malone not guilty Friday on a misdemeanor charge of domestic violence. [email protected] http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060217/NEWS01/302170013
February 20, 200619 yr Expanded story from the 2/18/06 Enquirer: PHOTO: Former Cincinnati City Councilman Sam Malone (right) is congratulated by his lawyer, Hal Arenstein, after being found not guilty Friday. The Enquirer/Gary Landers PHOTO: Judge Russell Mock on Friday asks Sam Malone to consider options other than corporal punishment to "stop the circle of violence." Malone was visibly relieved after being found not guilty. The Enquirer/Gary Landers Judge: Malone didn't break law But he tells ex-councilman to reconsider belt-whipping BY SHARON COOLIDGE | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER Former Cincinnati City Councilman Sam Malone did not commit a crime when he beat his 14-year-old son with a belt in May, a judge determined Friday. Hamilton County Municipal Judge Russell Mock found Malone not guilty on a misdemeanor charge of domestic violence. Malone waived his right to a jury during the three-day trial last month, leaving it to Mock to decide whether the beating was punishment or a crime. "I don't agree with what you did that day," Mock said. "I can't imagine placing a belt on any one of my children. But how you raise your son, sir, is your business. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060218/NEWS01/602180349/1056/rss02
