Boy's "Mentor" Busted For Videotaped Punishment

OCTOBER 5--A Florida man who recently videotaped himself punishing a young boy for “acting up” at school was arrested last week on a felony child cruelty rap, according to police.

Orlando cops busted Devery Broox after learning about the video via a tip originally received by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. A police report describes the 25-year-old Broox as a “mentor” of the seven-year-old boy, with whom he has “no familial relationship.”

While the boy initially claimed that marks and scars on his legs were caused by a bicycle accident, he later “disclosed that Devery ‘whips’ him ‘all the time.’” The child told cops that “Devery made him tell the story about the bicycle because ‘he don’t wanna go to jail.’”

When questioned by police, Broox admitted posting the video on YouTube and Tumblr, but claimed that the off-camera beating was “staged.” When officers disclosed that the child said he was beaten by Broox, the suspect “repeated several times that he will take responsibility for his actions,” adding that he regretted putting the video online.

The jarring video, which was filmed September 14, opens with Broox questioning the child about misbehaving in class. Broox, standing with a leather belt around his neck, and the seated boy are seen inside a bathroom. Broox, who told cops that he met the child through the boy’s grandmother, said he was “recommended to the family as a mentor.”

Broox appears angry that the child has ignored his demands (and those of the boy’s grandmother) to respect his teacher and other adults. “You want us to reward your bad behavior,” Broox tells the boy, who answers questions with “Yes, sir” and “No, sir.”

A spoken word performer whose Facebook page lists his employer as the United States Navy, Broox announces to the child, “Your hair is gone,” as he picks up an electric razor. He then proceeds to shave a haphazard pattern into the boy’s hair. “You want to be a class clown? I’ll make sure you go back to school looking like a clown. So that everybody can laugh at you,” he adds.

After finishing shaving the child’s head, Broox tells the boy to go into an adjoining room and “drop your pants.” Then, off-camera, the boy can be heard screaming and crying as he appears to be repeatedly struck with a belt.

The 7:44 video--posted to web sites like Worldstar Hip Hop and Media Takeout--opens with a crawl detailing the number of black men in prison and has captions describing steps taken by Broox to discipline his child (including “Step 1: Investigation” and “Step 3: Beat Dat ASS!!!). The video also includes photos showing the boy with his eyebrows appearing to have been shaved off.

The video concludes with “Step 4: The Workout From Hell!!!,” which shows the child doing wind sprints and push ups outside an apartment complex. Still photos appear to show the child crying.

Broox, pictured in the above mug shot, was arrested last week by the Orlando Police Department. Charged with a felony count of child cruelty without great harm, he was booked into the Orange County jail, where he was later released after posting $1000 bond. (2 pages)