Parents Use Stun Gun To Discipline Kids

Two parents of Lehigh Acres, Florida, take disciplining their children to whole new level of terror. Joshua Pierre Louis, 28, and Roxanne Paduani, 33, of Lee County, Florida, were arrested on Thursday, March 3, by the sheriff’s department on charges of child abuse, according to the News-Press. They have been allegedly disciplining their children with the aid of a stun gun. The couple have four children.

Someone called to report Joshua Louis and Roxanne Paduani to the Florida Abuse Hotline, which is run by the Department of Children and Families, tipping off the authorities about the abuse. Acting on the call, Natalie Harrell, DCF spokeswoman, said they then contacted law enforcement for assistance. After investigating the allegations, the couple was arrested last Thursday. The Special Victims Unit verified that the couple did own a stun gun. The children also told investigators they were being shocked with the taser.

The sheriff’s department reported, “They were using it as a tool to deter the children from misbehaving. The stun gun afflicted pain compliance on the children and left visible marks on two of the children.”

The report says that Roxanne Paduani was aware of the tasing, but claims she wasn’t present when it happened, according to Inside Edition. Paduani allegedly told an investigator that she sparked the stun gun to warn the children, but said she never actually shocked them with it. The children made a similar statement that they were tased exclusively by Joshua Louis.

The arrest report says that one of the children told a DCF worker that they were being tased when they were “bad.” The child showed the investigators the marks. The child told the DCF case coordinator that Louis “shocks us.” The child indicated that being “bad” included screaming and making a mess. The case worker noted scars on the lower abdomen of one child. They noted marks on the the upper chest of another child. No marks were noted on two of the children. The ages of the four children is unknown.

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An acquaintance of Joshua Louis, Beatrice Youngs, said, “I’m in shock.” Youngs said that Joshua Louis was her personal trainer at Max’d Out Fitness Center. “I really don’t know much about his family life, but he’s always been so kind and generous, so that’s why I’m a little taken aback,” she said. Young reported the last time she saw Louis with his family was on Valentine’s Day in downtown Fort Myers. She said she saw the children for a brief moment in the back seat of the car. She said everything seemed fine and she added, “I’ll hope for the best and, God forbid, I hope they’re not really doing that.”

Roxanne Paduani was booked into Lee County jail on two charges of cruelty toward a child. She is being held on a $200,000 bond. Joshua Louis was arrested and booked on four counts of cruelty toward a child and is being held on a $400,000 bond. The Lee County sheriff’s department declined to comment further on the case.

“The four children have been sheltered and are currently with relatives,” Natalie Harrell, DCF, said. She declined to comment further regarding prior incidents with the family and the Department of Children and Families, stating that information was protected by law. There’s no report regarding whether Joshua Louis is the biological father of the children or the couple’s family situation.

No defense attorneys have been named at this time. Joshua Louis and Roxanne Paduani both remain in the Lee County jail, unable to post bond. The two are scheduled for a court appearance on April 4.

[Image via Lee County Sheriff’s Dept]