Gricelda Mejia: Louisiana Mom Arrested, Made Teen Daughter Drink Hot Sauce For Punishment

Gricelda Mejia, a Hispanic-Latina mother, is sitting in jail today for severely abusing her teen daughter. WFAB is reporting now that 33-year old Gricelda Mejia became so angry with her 13-year old daughter that she beat her, struck her with a belt, dragged her by the hair, and made her drink hot sauce as punishment. The child abuse took place in Houma, Louisiana.

The teenage girl reportedly told officials at her school, who then referred the case to police. Officers from the Terrebonne Parrish Sheriff’s office arrested Mejia and charged her with cruelty to juveniles. Police are not saying what caused the beating, but the girl reported that her mother beat her several times during that week and snatched her down by the hair and dragged her throughout the house.

An examination of the child’s body revealed several severe bruises. The teen daughter, whom police have not named due to her age, has been taken out of her mother’s home. Information from Mejia’s mugshot shows that she was born in 1981, weighs 170 pounds, and stands 5ft 3 inches tall. She currently sits in the Parish Jail, according to Daily Comet.

Located in Terrebonne Parish, Houma, has a population of almost 34,000 people. Hispanics make up about 5.76 percent of the population. In some households, hot saucing is considered as a controversial but acceptable way to discipline children. In the old days, many parents made children swallow hot sauce or wash their mouths out with soap if they uttered a bad word. Today, that kind of discipline can land a mother in jail— and for good reason.

Making a child drink hot sauce can cause choking, allergy complications, tongue swelling, nausea, and can cause burns on the esophagus. In 2011, Inquisitr reported on the case of Jessica Beagley, a 36-year old Alaska mom who was caught on tape making her 7-year old boy drink hot sauce. He was also filmed taking a cold shower. Her case gained such national attention and caused such outrage among residents that she was arrested and sentenced to 3 years probation. Her case was aired on Dr. Phil’s Mommy Confessions.

This is how some people feel about a mother who uses hot sauce to discipline her kids.

“What an absolutely cruel, twisted bit**ch.”

“WHETHER OR NOT IT WAS WATER OR HOT SAUCE… TO TREAT A CHILD LIKE THAT SHOULD BE A CRIMINAL OFFENSE!!”

“How about go grab a book or hop on the internet and find out the millions of ways to discipline that doesn’t involve harming()much less abusive discipline…. some people really shouldn’t be allowed to reproduce.”

[Photo Credit: Twitter]