William Ellis Watt, above, a Michigan man with a long history of violence, has been sent to prison for assaulting his daughter during the course of an exorcism.
According to this report, Watt of Gregory was sentenced to one to 10 years in prison for an incident that occurred last September.
A police report, filed by his daughter last fall, stated that the then-18-year-old was sitting on a couch watching television when Watt, his wife and son approached her and began chanting:
The power of Christ compels you.
The brother, who had been repairing a wall in the house, began smearing plaster on her face. Then family members tipped the couch she was sitting on and threw a reusable water bottle at her, which left a cut on her nose.
Later in the in day, Watt confronted her while she was eating and accused her of stealing his food. During a row over the meal Watt slapped her across the cheek. Eventually, a friend came and picked her up and she called the police.
While Watt has maintained his innocence, stating that the “false accusations” came from an “arrogant” and “deceitful” teen, Livingston County Court Judge Miriam Cavanaugh wasn’t buying it.
You beat up your family. When are you going to learn? You can’t put your hands on your adult children. You don’t get to kick around your kids because they’re your kids, You don’t get to grab her neck or slap her in the face.
Watt described his sentence as “unbelievable” and begged the court for mercy.
Watt has a criminal history dating to 1997, when he was charged with domestic violence for assaulting a family member. Over the next two decades he has accrued an extensive rap sheet.
In 2001, he was convicted of domestic violence and phone interruption for assaulting his wife and then trying to disconnect the phone when she attempted to call 9-1-1 for help.
Three years later, in 2004, Watt was accused of choking his then 16-year-old son.
In 2008, he was convicted of two counts of felonious assault with a dangerous weapon, which led to his first prison sentence.
After being released in 2011, he was convicted of assault with intent to strangle his daughter. He was sentenced to 10 months in jail. The most recent incident occurred shortly after he was released
Said Livingston County Prosecutor William J Vailliencourt Jr:
Clearly, he earned a prison sentence. You cannot look at his conduct in a vacuum, and when you look at the length of his history of violence and family violence, he earned a prison sentence.
Hat tip: Matthew Carr