Parents Force Spoonful of Hot Sauce Into Daughter’s Mouth Despite Allergy as Punishment for Putting “Ink on the Cat”

A Florida man and woman are accused of forcing their daughter to drink homemade hot sauce despite her allergies as punishment for throwing ink on a cat. The child was later interviewed by a child protection team, where she revealed additional abuse and injuries.

A Florida couple, identified as Robert Elderidge, 38, and Ashley Elderidge, 37, were accused of abusing their daughter. The incident took place in Cocoa, a city located 45 miles east of Orlando. According to a probable cause arrest affidavit reviewed by Law&Crime, the investigation began on March 12, when the girl told a school resource officer about the abuse she was facing from her parents.

After that, a child protection team coordinated an interview with the girl to understand what her parents allegedly did to her.

“They whooped me with a belt, wooden spoon,’ the girl told police, according to the affidavit obtained by Law&Crime.

The girl, while speaking to authorities, pointed to her left thigh and said she suffered from bruises and welts from being hit with a hand and belt by her father, according to the affidavit. When authorities asked why she was disciplined, she said it was because of “ink on the cat.” She also said it was part of an experiment, according to police. According to the affidavit, the girl said she was struck 15 times.

The girl also said her mother made homemade hot sauce from “red peppers, onions, and oil” and forced her to ingest a spoonful of it, which she is allergic to, the complaint said. According to police, this occurred 10 times.

Police said that, according to the victim, when she did not want to drink the hot sauce, her mother allegedly held her nose shut, preventing her from breathing. “The victim stated that the hot sauce made her stomach burn and caused vomiting,” police said.

A doctor who examined her determined she suffered physical abuse, according to authorities. The doctor also found numerous injuries on the victim, including bruises and three long welt on her backside, according to police.

Police spoke to the parents. Robert Elderidge admitted he had 'whooped' her, but mentioned he intended to strike her buttocks, but the belt hit her legs instead, according to the affidavit. Ashley Elderidge admitted to feeding her hot sauce because she lied about putting ink on the cat.

Both of the the girl's parents were arrested and taken into Brevard County Jail, where they remained on $5,000 bond. Their next court date is set for April.