HALL CO. SHERIFF’S OFFICE NARRATIVE:
“A Commerce man remains in the Hall County Jail following a weekend domestic dispute involving a family from a neighboring county at a private sporting event being held at a Hall County middle school.
Hall County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) deputies were called to Cherokee Bluff Middle School (CBMS) just after 2 p.m. on Saturday, January 20, 2024, to investigate a report of an adult male punching and slapping a female child. The preliminary investigation revealed Steven Mathue Slaton, 38, became angry at his daughter for failing to win a wrestling match being hosted at the school. According to the arrest warrant, Slaton punched the girl in the back, slapped her face and then picked her up by her ears, lifting the girl over his head. The child was not physically injured.
The victim is not a student in the Hall County School District, but she and her family had traveled to Hall County for her to compete in a private youth wrestling event. The event was not sponsored by the Hall County School District.
Slaton remains in the Hall County Jail with a bond of $11,200 for a charge of felony cruelty to children in the first degree.”
(EDITOR’S NOTE: The child’s age was not disclosed, only that she is under 18.)