'How else am I supposed to discipline them?' man accused of choking child asks police

SANTAQUIN — A 36-year-old Santaquin man arrested and accused of abusing two young children by choking them, slapping them and holding each child over a river has been charged.

Jason James Quigley was charged Wednesday in 4th Distort Court with four counts of aggravated child abuse, a first-degree felony; obstruction of justice, a class A misdemeanor; and public intoxication, a class C misdemeanor.

Charging documents do not state whether the children are boys or girls.

On Sunday, police were called to a residence in Santaquin after a 9-year-old child had run to a neighbor's home to report they had been assaulted by Quigley, according to a police booking affidavit.

"The child reported that Jason was actively assaulting and choking a 5-year-old child at the residence," the affidavit states.

When officers arrived at the residence, they asked Quigley about allegedly strangling a child.

"How else am I supposed to discipline them? What am I supposed to do, spank them until they're bloody?" Quigley replied, according to the affidavit.

Quigley admitted that he had "consumed multiple containers of alcohol," police stated. Police found the 5-year-old hiding under a bed in the residence.

"Both children disclosed that Jason had been upset with them because Jason believed they had stolen a cellphone," the affidavit states.

Prosecutors further state in their charges that Quigley "drove them up Goshen Canyon and held each of them over the river for a period of time, threatened to drop them, and said he was 'testing' them and that he had 'backup plans.'" The charges do not specify what those plans allegedly were.

After returning to Quigley's Santaquin residence, "the children said that Jason had slapped the 9-year-old across the face before gripping the child by the neck. Jason lifted the 9-year-old from the ground and held them in the air by their neck. The 9-year-old was then released and ran from the residence," the affidavit states. "Both children reported that Jason had told them he had 'backup plans' while assaulting and choking them. Both children were extremely distressed and emotional."

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