Deputies: Men shocked kids for failing to finish push-ups

Two men are accused of using a stun gun on several children when they failed at doing pushups as punishment, officials said.

One of the kids had 15 two prong burn marks on his bottom consistent with a stun-gun injury, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. Another child had 10 marks, deputies said.

In all, the men are accused of using the stun gun to discipline nine children between the ages of 7 and 13, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Two women are also facing charges after deputies said they knew about the abuse, but didn’t stop it.

Deputies said the children were living with the adults — Eduardo Vazquez, 22, William Torres-Morales, 22, Elizabeth Tarvin, 33, and Veronica Sanchez, 32 — at a home near Lakeland.

The Sheriff’s Office started investigating earlier this month after getting a tip from child welfare workers that the nine children were possibly being disciplined with a handheld stun gun.

Doctors examined two of the kids and found their injuries were consistent with abuse. Deputies said they found similar “two prong” marks on at least five other children.

Several of the kids told investigators Torres-Morales and Vazquez used the stun gun on them several times. Tarvin and Sanchez never hurt them, the kids said, but didn’t stop the discipline, according to the Sheriff ’s Office.

Torres-Morales gave deputies differing stories about how the children were injured, at one point saying the kids got a hold of his stun gun and were using it on each other. He later acknowledged to using the stun gun on the kids after being pressured by Vasquez, deputies said.

Torres-Morales also told deputies he and Vasquez once made the male children do push-ups and when one couldn’t do any more, they used the stun gun on him, according to the Sheriff ’s Office.

Both women told deputies they were aware of the abuse, but didn’t stop it out of fear.

All four were being held in the Polk County Jail on bail.