Inset: Renel Sanon (Miami-Dade County). Background: The Florida residence where Renel Sanon is accused of assaulting his daughter due to her reluctance to attend church (Google Maps).
A father in Florida is accused of using an “electrical cord” to discipline his daughter by whipping her and also physically assaulting her, following her refusal to accompany him to church, according to law enforcement reports.
“The defendant entered her room insisting that she accompany him to church,” details Renel Sanon’s arrest affidavit, as accessed by Law&Crime on Monday.
When the daughter declined, Sanon allegedly “removed her bedsheets” and proceeded to punch her “in the chest with a closed fist,” as per the affidavit.
It’s unclear how old the victim is; Sanon is 63.
“The victim reported that she tried to defend herself, at which point the defendant seized an electrical cord and hit her on the left upper arm, resulting in a noticeable cut,” the affidavit claims.
Authorities were summoned to the Miami-Dade County residence, where both the father and daughter live alongside other family members, on Sunday at approximately 10:55 a.m.
Police received two 911 calls — one from Sanon and another from his daughter, who called from the backyard after being beaten with the electrical cord, according to the affidavit.
Once on scene, cops spoke to Sanon and he allegedly “indicated that he wanted his daughter to go to church and she refused.”
This angered him and an “altercation ensued” before Sanon claims to have told his daughter to leave, according to the affidavit. Cops found the victim still in the backyard when they arrived and took pictures of her injuries.
The youth suffered a laceration to her arm from the alleged cord attack but refused medical attention. Sanon was taken into custody without incident and charged with child abuse with no great bodily harm. A local judge reportedly ordered him to stay away from his daughter on Monday and set his bond at $2,500.
