Police said the father used the paddle to discipline his child as a form of corporal punishment.
(ALBANY) - An Albany pastor was in a Benton County courtroom Tuesday to face second-degree assault and first degree criminal mistreatment charges after he allegedly stuck his 13-year-old son multiple times with a wooden paddle.
47-year-old David Lee Fink, pastor of Potter’s House located in north Albany, was taken into custody at the church Monday afternoon.
Albany police Capt. Eric Carter says when police arrived they found the boy with welts, bruising, and red marks, on his thighs, arms and buttocks. The boy did not require medical treatment for his injuries.
Carter says the investigation revealed that Fink had struck the child at least 10 times with a 16-inch long wood paddle wrapped in duct tape.
Carter said it is not clear yet how long this type of punishment was going on in the home, but he did say that the father used the paddle to discipline his child as a form of corporal punishment.
DHS went to the home to investigate the incident, and left the child in the care of his mother.
Fink was taken and logged into the Benton County Jail.
His bail was set at $55,000.
Fink is due back in court on April 5th.
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