(La Porte County, IN) - A jury might have to decide whether a man went too far in striking his granddaughter with a belt as a form of discipline.

 

Marc Lewis, 58, is charged in La Porte Circuit Court with two counts of Level 5 felony and Level 6 felony domestic battery.

 

According to court documents, Lewis at the request of his daughter on Christmas drove from his home in Michigan City to her residence outside La Porte in Center Township. 

 

The woman requested her father’s presence in response to her 9 year old daughter refusing to clean her bedroom, police said.

 

According to court documents, Lewis after the girl argued with him went up to his granddaughter’s bedroom and began striking her with a belt. The girl was left with red marks and bruises on her legs, thighs and back.

 

Court documents show the Indiana Department of Child Services became involved after the girl told her father, who submitted pictures of her injuries to the La Porte County Sheriff’s Office.

 

Authorities said Lewis did not speak directly with investigators, but through his attorney defended his actions, saying the girl has been violent in the past and lesser forms of discipline in the past failed to correct her behavior.

 

He could face anywhere from one to six year sentence on the most serious count.  Lewis, who was arrested Sunday, is scheduled for his initial court hearing on Friday.