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Walnut Hill Man Arrested For Beating Son With Stick
June 17, 2010
A Walnut Hill man was jailed on child abuse charges for allegedly beating his son with a stick.
Andrew Kelly Freeman, 41, is facing child abuse, aggravated battery and battery charges. He was released on $11,000 bond.
According to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, Freeman’s 14 and 17 year old sons, who live in Georgia with their mother, have been visiting Freeman at his home in the 7000 block of Occie Phillips Road.
The victim told deputies that he and his brother had grown tired of watching Freeman, their father, “verbally arguing and constantly staying drunk”, according to the Sheriff’s Office arrest report. The two boys decided to walk to a nearby house to call their mother to pick them up.
On the road to the neighbor’s house, Freeman reportedly pulled up in his pickup truck behind the boys and told them to put their bags in the truck and return to his residence. When the 14-year old victim refused, Freeman reportedly struck him multiple times on the back with a stick, breaking the stick. Freeman also grabbed the boy and punched him in the face with closed fist, the report states.
Deputies reported finding multiple abrasions on the victim’s back and a bruised and swollen area on the side of his face.
The boys returned to Georgia with their mother, according to the report.
Freeman is due to be in court July 8 for an arraignment hearing.
Comments
17 Responses to “Walnut Hill Man Arrested For Beating Son With Stick”
I’ve known Andy and his father for over 20 years! NONE OF YOU ARMCHAIR CRITICS OUT THERE WERE PRESENT WHEN THIS HAPPENED AND YOU DO NOT KNOW THE FULL STORY! How quickly we make ourselves Judge, Jury, and Executioner when we do not have all the facts. This is a man whom was raised with respect for father, mother, and family, as well as perfect strangers, and he has always put his family first! I know this because I watched him sacrifice his shot at becoming a Navy SEAL; he opted to go home to a terminally ill family member instead of completing BUDS training (HE WAS AT THE TOP OF THE CLASS)! SO…Like I said previously, please do not prejudge this man…you do not have ALL THE FACTS!
Andy, I’m praying for you and your family brother! I hope you can have some reconciliation with your boys! I know that you love them with all you heart and sole! You always have!
Don P
I agree with “know your neighbors” comments— abuse is abuse no matter who is doing it! Alcohol is not an excuse. Bruises will heal but the memories won’t !
REGARDING:
“all you rednecked, drunken, wife beating, idiots need to grow up!”
Careful, some of us rednecks are very sensitive and you’ll make us cry with your unkind words. Some of us don’t even drink or beat our wives. And calling us idiots. . . that really hurts our feelings.
AND FROM THE OTHER END OF SANITY
“Let us not JUDGE until you walk in someone else’s shoes. ”
So until you have driven down the road drunk, you shouldn’t judge those who do?
Until you have awakened your neighbors by loudly screaming obscenities at small children and women, you shouldn’t judge those who do?
Until you have beaten your children senseless, you shouldn’t judge those who do?
Until you have robbed your neighbor, you shouldn’t judge those who do?
Until you have robbed a convenience store, you shouldn’t judge those who do?
Until you have shot up with heroin, you shouldn’t judge those who do?
Until you have murdered, raped or tortured, you shouldn’t judge those who do?
Until you have been arrested at least 15 times, you shouldn’t judge those who do?
Until you have manufactured meth in the house with your children, you shouldn’t judge those who do?
These “walk a moon in his moccasins” variations are cute and catchy but surely there are some limits beyond which understanding can only be insanity.
Is it really wrong to tell your children and your friends such behavior is wrong?
And if it is wrong, then wouldn’t it be wrong to tell us so?
David, the barefoot redneck
(I’ll put my shoes on later)
Glad to see that the ECSO took this one seriously.There is a couple living in the community with a daughter living in the home as well as two little children that were under the age of 2 that had been being abused well over a year and there has not been the first criminal charge on any of the three. How sad I must say, not to mention the childrens father is a child molester and still has rights. What is this world coming to? On a positive note the children are no longer in the home.
Well I totally agree that these little minded people that are stuck in those woods should know all of the facts before they comment. Andy may have his problems but he is a good daddy and loves his boys. Let us not JUDGE until you walk in someone elses shoes. Thank you
No matter what else, the man didn’ t apparently show his children respect, so there you go…this…”I’ll show you how a man really is” attitude is totally out of the last century and all you rednecked, drunken, wife beating, idiots need to grow up! I believe what some said that the neighbors and coworkers don’t know this man. Only those who live at home with him do. And, apparently, some people don’t seem to understand that men like that are selfish. Sure, they go to work, work hard, and whatever. But, then they go home where the real responsibility is and they can’t take it. So, hitting the wife and kids when you are mad because life is life is unacceptable. Just because they would rather be with their buddies than be at home with those who love and care for them. When they want dinner? I say, go ask your buddy to cook for you. So, just to be clear, the person you work with or party with is not always at all the same person who is in the home. Sometimes that person is a monster.
REGARDING:
“who turned the dad in? ”
Well, the son testified against him. Are we supposed to be mad at someone turning in a drunk driving on the road and beating people with sticks because he should be allowed to beat his children with sticks?
Of course, there’s sticks and there’s sticks. If it were a sizable stick and he broke it, he may just possibly have been hitting harder than he should have—just maybe.
Many people favored switches because they didn’t break easily, did no real physical damage and stung–thereby leaving a mental mark that some particular action would be associated with pain.
A neighbor broke a log over Number 2 son’s head once–in a fight not because he was drunk and thought he could discipline him that way. The log was rotten and the head was hard. And, yes, we turned him in and, yes, the courts frowned on the action but the kid has had plenty of practice making the courts frown in the ensuing years.
“The victim told deputies that he and his brother had grown tired of watching Freeman, their father, “verbally arguing and constantly staying drunk”, according to the Sheriff’s Office arrest report. ”
This MAY not be considered good parenting.
I wonder why the happy couple split up–none of my business, just wondering.
David assuming all reports are accurate
I know Andy from working around him, we don’t work for the same company but we work at the same plant, Andy is a very hard worker! I also know his father, who is a very fine man that I respect. I don’t know what happened that day and you don’t either. Only Andy his children and god does. Please wait untill all the facts are in before you convict this man. He may be guilty but you and I don’t know. But one thing I do know is you do not abuse children and women.
Thinker isn’t thinking quite deep enough
Spare the rod and spoil the child. Right?
Uh huh.
I agree with know your neighbor!
Walnut Hill-You probably don’t know this guy at all.
All these kinds of cowards don’t show who they really are to the neighbors,
just their women and kids who can’t fight back.
Jerk!
A good start in changing things would be to stop calling sin a mistake. I speak to myself in this also. It’s good to love a sinner, but if it’s a sin, it’s a sin, whether you know the person or not. Unless, of course, there is a medical/physical cause, and the person is truly not responsible, as in head injury, hyperglycemia, etc.
I hope that his children stay away from him. There is no telling what this man is capable of doing if he snaps again.
I get sick and tired of you people saying “I know him, he’s not bad, he’s not that kind of person”. Get a grip on life and open your eyes. I bet he treats complete strangers better than he does his family.
I know Andy and he is a laid back type of person ,so I don’t know what happen to bring this on! He loves these boys and was so excited about them coming to visit!!! You just never know!!
all good questions, but the children remain the victims. this is no way to treat anyone, not even animals. no wonder the boys wanted to leave. I hope this man recieves some heavenly insight and repents for his mistakes. I only hope he does this prior to these boys leaving him for good. kids are only young once and all too often the mistakes we make as parents are carried on with them for a lifetime, unless change is made, forgiveness sought, and acceptance gained.
wondering where the boys went when their dad was booked and jailed. who turned the dad in? wondering too if the kids ever have to come back for dad’s visitation. hope the rest of their summer is really fantastic. that being said i wonder what the punishment will be for mr. freeman. i say have someone bigger than mr. freeman strike him multiple times on the back with a stick, breaking the stick. grab him, punch him in the face with a closed fist, and leave him with multiple abrasions on his back and a bruised and swollen area on the side of his face. oh and no more visitation. drunken bullies deserve no more, no less.