An Indiana police officer has been accused of forcing his 6-year-old daughter to stand in the extreme cold while holding a banner with a distressing message as punishment for “pouting.” According to investigators, the cop, Cody Scott, barred the child from wearing lip gloss. Scott and his wife, Kylie Scott, have been charged with felony child neglect.
According to court documents obtained by WTHR, the incident that prompted the investigation occurred on January 19. A woman witnessed a heartbreaking situation when she noticed a young girl, Scott’s daughter, standing alone in the cold. She held a sign. The woman contacted 911 and told the dispatcher what was going on.
Allegedly, the sign displayed the following disturbing message: “I want to stab and Kill my brother – I even take an antipsychotic – If you need to give pity – then give it to the victims.”
According to Indiana State Police and WTHR, Officer Cody Scott arrived at the scene with his supervisor. Body camera footage purportedly shows the woman approaching Officer Scott, who allegedly responded in a cruel manner. “Yup, she comes out here every 30 minutes, and she goes back inside every 10 minutes to warm up,” Scott stated, according to court papers.
While the caller and Scott were still conversing, an “older male” interjected and expressed concern for the child’s well-being. The older male, like the female caller, asked Scott why a young girl would stand outside in the cold. Officer Scott then reportedly explains himself, providing an outlandish response.
“Well sir, aside from me cruelly beating her physically, I’ve not done any other punishment that has worked for her,” Scott allegedly said, as per court records.
Disturbing Signs
The New York Post reported on the many other things that Officer Scott allegedly said during the conversation. “She’s threatened to kill my family, she wants to embarrass us, she wants to urinate on herself and destroy things in the house,” Scott said, according to court records. “I have a [Department of Child Services] caseworker involved. She’s been in therapy for three years, she also has the wrap around program at school.”
Officer Scott allegedly told the 911 caller that he had taken his 6-year-old daughter to a nearby hospital twice, claiming she was “kicked out.” Scott also confessed, according to court papers, that he threatened to pick her up. However, the hospital stated that they will contact the Department of Child Services to report the abandonment.
A case worker with the Howard County Department of Child Services conducted an investigation. The investigation discovered that the girl had previously been forced to carry such unsettling messages. On one occasion, the Scotts allegedly forced their daughter to walk to school while holding a placard that stated, “I pee on everything and cover it up like a cat.” Then she was allegedly compelled to carry a sign to Walmart that said, “I lie to hurt other people.”
While interviewing the Scotts, Kylie reportedly divulged the reason for the punishment. She stated that after their kid pouted, they disciplined her with the January 19 sign. She was reportedly ordered not to use lip gloss.
After the incident, authorities reportedly placed Officer Cody Scott on leave. On March 12, he was placed on leave without pay. Both he and Kylie Scott face two counts of felony neglect of a dependent.
