Houston woman charged after using Taser to punish son

HOUSTON, Texas -- According to charging documents, a Houston woman who used a Taser to discipline her then 5-year-old son said she couldn't think of a better punishment.

Whitney White is charged with causing bodily injury to a child after at least two allegedly violent punishments linked to the boy's school performance.

When police interviewed the child on July 23 at the family home's on E. 42nd Street, he claimed there was a history of alleged abuses.

Officers with Houston Police Child Abuse Unit said the now 6-year-old boy had a bruise to the left side of his face, welts on both arms, and a laceration to his right arm.

According to documents, the child also told investigators he had also been shocked with a Taser once for getting in trouble at school.

"My anger management class told me not to tase him but we didn't go into what else to do," White reportedly told investigators.

White allegedly confirmed the child's story, but said she was frustrated because her son hadn't achieved the learning outcomes she wanted for him.

The boy's mother allegedly said he was beaten in July because he wouldn't recite or spell his sight words.

Documents said White admitted to smacking the child with a back hand, and that five "too forceful" swats from a belt broke the skin on his arm.

The smack on the face was earned by talking back, documents revealed.

"It was because he told me no and that is a sign of disrespect," White allegedly said.

The case of White using the Taser allegedly happened in November 2016 after a bad day in class.

"When I tried to talk with him about it, he didn't want to discuss it, and he was running away from me," White said, according to the complaint. "I picked it up and tased him with it."