A father accused of binding his toddler daughter with painter’s tape and then posting a picture on Facebook was acquitted Tuesday of unlawful restraint but still faces a pair of domestic battery charges, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
Andre Curry, 22, has claimed the incident was a misunderstood joke, NBCChicago.com reported.
The photo on Curry's Facebook page showed his then-22-month-old daughter with her mouth taped shut and her hands bound by blue tape, NBCChicago.com reported.
The caption beneath the photo read, "This is wut happens wen my baby hits me back."
On Tuesday, during an hour-long bench trial before Cook County Judge Lawrence Flood, Curry’s relatives and Chicago police testified that Curry’s daughter was jovial and playful following the Dec. 13 stunt and did not have any visible injuries.
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Curry’s sister, Annastesia Curry, described the events at her South Side Chicago home last year as horsing around. The taping incident, she said, lasted just 30 seconds and the baby was laughing afterward, the Sun-Times reported.
Andre Curry texted the picture to the child’s mother, writing, “Mommy help me.” The mother, Yesmin Doss, 21, testified for the prosecution, the Sun-Times reported.
Detective Charles Hollendoner testified that he saw no bruises or marks on the baby when he checked up on her after Curry’s Facebook friends called officials about the posting, the Sun-Times reported. Hollendoner said Curry told him that he and his daughter continued to play after she slapped him, but that the taping was not retaliatory.
Flood said he would render his verdict on the domestic battery charges on Nov. 8, the Sun-Times reported.
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Curry was jailed until he posted $100,000 bond. He was ordered to stay off the Internet and away from all children under the age of 18, including his daughter, NBCChicago.com reported.
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