Man Accused Of Abusing Daughter For 'Lying And Talking Back'

LAKEWOOD, WA — A Lakewood man was arraigned in Pierce County this week because he allegedly waterboarded his 7-year-old daughter "for lying and talking back," according to court documents obtained by Patch.

Matthew Allen Farrar, 27, is currently being held at Pierce County jail. He faces charges for assault of a child in both the second and third degree. He was arraigned on May 13.

Assault of a child in the second degree is a Class B felony and applies specifically when the youth is younger than 13 years. The same charge in the third degree is a Class C felony and refers to the severity of the assault in this case.

The incident reportedly occurred Mother's Day, May 12, at the family's Lakewood home.

According to the reporting witness to the incident, who was "in shock and stunned" when she spoke with police, Farrar was apparently disciplining his daughter for lying and talking back.

The witness reportedly told police Farrar used "too much power and too many strikes" when he grabbed his daughter and spanked her violently with his belt roughly 13 times. During the beating, Farrar's daughter was screaming "bloody murder," the witness said, noting Farrar's response was "way overboard."

After the beating, Farrar allegedly dragged his daughter to the bathroom and the witness followed. In the bathroom, Farrar grabbed a red wash cloth and soaked it before filling a 17-ounce plastic bottle with water, the witness said.

Farrar reportedly then took his daughter, bent her backward over the tub, held the soaked towel over his daughter's face and started pouring the water from the water bottle onto the towel. The witness said Farrar did this for roughly 15 to 20 seconds, all while his daughter was coughing, crying, gagging, and gasping for air.

At one point, Farrar's daughter reportedly cried, "I can't breathe." To which Farrar allegedly replied: "That's the point, shut up before the neighbors hear."

Farrar only relented after his daughter screamed, "I don't want to die."

After releasing his daughter, Farrar told her to go change out of her wet clothes. When she did, the witness — feeling totally unsafe — grabbed the girl and fled the home to a nearby 7-Eleven, where she called police.

Speaking with investigators, Farrar's daughter reportedly confirmed the incident occurred and showed emergency responders visible bruises on her backside, from where she'd been spanked with the belt.

While speaking with the witness and Farrar's daughter, police learned Farrar was heading to the 7-Eleven. Officers stopped him along the way and took him into custody.

Speaking with police, Farrar admitted to spanking his daughter and using water as part of an unspecified punishment, but he did not immediately volunteer to explain how. Referring to the spanking, Farrar reportedly said, "I think it could have been a little too much."

Pressed for more information, Farrar eventually told police how he waterboarded his daughter until she told him she didn't want to die, documents show. When asked how he learned this form of punishment, Farrar reportedly told police, "I saw it once."

A jury trial is scheduled to begin July 1. Farrar's next court date will be for a pre-trial conference on May 28.