Dad Accused of Beating 6-Year-Old With Belts Over Missing Folder

A Texas man will spend nearly a decade in prison after beating his 6-year-old son with a belt because the child forgot to bring home a school folder.

Demitrius Shea Lacour, 40, was convicted Monday of injury to a child and sentenced to eight and a half years in prison, according to local CBS affiliate KWTX. The case began in September 2024 when the boy, then a first grader, arrived at school with a large red bruise on his neck. A school nurse alerted police after discovering additional bruises and welts on the child. Investigators found six distinct injuries on his body, all consistent with being struck by a belt, KWTX reported.

The child suffered four-inch-wide bruises on his neck, back, side, and lower legs. Police determined the injuries were far beyond what could be considered reasonable physical discipline.

Prosecutor Jessica Washington emphasized that point during closing arguments.

“Did this 6-year-old deserve this?” Washington reportedly asked. “He had just started first grade. He was just learning his ABCs. Was that reasonable discipline? Is this what you would expect from a parent when this child merely forgets his take-home folder? Was a belt across his neck and back and legs what he needed to learn to be a better student?”

Lacour’s attorney argued that his client was attempting to straighten out his son and described the incident as a mistake.

“Was this a mistake someone needs to go to prison for?” attorney Alan Streetman said, according to KWTX.

Jurors quickly sided with prosecutors, returning a guilty verdict after about 30 minutes of deliberation. Lacour had reportedly been offered a plea deal that included a five-year prison sentence but declined it and chose to go to trial.

In a statement to KWTX, Washington and fellow prosecutor Dan Stokes said Lacour demonstrated a complete lack of remorse and refused to take responsibility.

“His attempts to justify leaving a 6-year-old child covered in bruises and welts in the shape of a buckle all over his body was not discipline, but abuse,” they said.

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