CITIZEN STAFF REPORT

INEZ — An Inez man was arrested on fourth-degree assault (child abuse) Thursday following an altercation with his 15-year-old stepdaughter.

Edward T. Summers, 57, was taken into custody on Nichols Street, but the police investigation started at Martin County High School. Chief Deputy Chris Kidd of the Martin County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to the school “for parents wanting to talk to law enforcement.”

Upon arrival, Deputy Kidd encountered Summers, who openly discussed the events leading up to the altercation. Summers explained that the conflict arose from his stepdaughter’s text exchanges with a boy, which he deemed inappropriate. He recounted that as the argument escalated, the teenager threw a bottle at him.

During an interview at the school and in the presence of both law enforcement and the school’s principal, the teenager disclosed that she threw the bottle because Summers hit her in the face and choked her.

Summers admitted to the physical confrontation, acknowledging that he did strike his stepdaughter with an open hand in a struggle to take her phone. He stated he reached around the juvenile’s neck when she put the phone in her other hand, adding that he did not intentionally choke her but “could have.”

The officer noted visible marks on the juvenile’s neck and a scratch on her chest.

Social Services assisted with the entirety of the investigation.