INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — A father of a 13-year-old girl was arrested on a child abuse charge following a food fight, during which he punched the girl in the eye, authorities said.
The incident happened near the new Chick-fil-A on State Road 60 at about 8:45 p.m. Monday, when the daughter dropped a container of fries on the floor of their Ford F-150, angering her father, according to the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies arrested James Carlton Reigel Jr., 50, of the 800 block of 10th Avenue, Vero Beach, for felony child abuse. He is being held at the county jail in lieu of $25,000 bail.
According to the arrest report, Reigel got upset with his teen daughter for dropping the fries while passing food out among other family members, including her mother and brother. The report states while Reigel was yelling at the girl, she threw a handful of fries at him; in return, Reigel threw his beverage cup at the girl, who then threw her milkshake at him.
Reigel then got out of the truck to take off his shirt, opened his son’s door, lunged over the son and tried to grab the girl’s cellphone, which he had blamed for her dropping the fries, according to the report.
During the attempt, Reigel punched the girl in the left eye, causing swelling and redness, the report states.
Authorities spoke to the child’s mother, who confirmed the actions of both during the incident, according to the arrest report.
Sheriff’s deputies arrested Reigel and notified the Department of Children and Families about the case.