Police arrest man for attacking his son’s alleged bully

St. George Police cruiser, St. George, Utah, March 31, 2017 | Photo by Austin Peck, St. George News

ST. GEORGE – A St. George man was arrested last week for allegedly attacking a teen who reportedly bullied his son.

Todd Eugene Bott, 47, was taken into custody by St. George Police in the early hours of June 16 after he was accused of being involved in an alteration with a 15-year-old boy and a man whose home Bott didn’t have permission to enter, according to a probable cause statement.

The father of the boy contacted police the night of June 15 after the incident had occurred at a home on Obsidian Drive. When a police officer arrived, the father said Bott attacked and choked his son.

The officer talked to the 15-year-old next and was told that he and Bott’s son were at another boy’s home when Bott came to pick up his son.

Apparently, Bott’s son contacted his father and told him he had been bullied by the other boy, St. George Police Capt. Mike Giles said Friday.

Giles was unable to confirm the extent or nature of the professed bullying or whether it was a recurring issue between Bott’s son and the other boy.

When Bott arrived at the house, his son opened the door while the 15-year-old was downstairs. The boy told police he could hear Bott shouting and asking where he was.

Scared, the 15-year-old proceeded to hide in his friend’s closet where Bott ultimately found him, according the probable cause statement.

(Bott) grabbed him by the neck and picked him up off the ground,” the 15-year-old told the officer, as recorded in the probable cause statement. The boy went on to say Bott carried him out of the bedroom into a common area of the house where he slammed him against a wall and “yelled at him about being a bully to his son.”

The 15-year-old told police Bott’s actions terrified him so much he wet himself. The boy’s father said he was concerned about how the incident might affect his son due to how much it scared him.

The responding officer proceeded to take photos of the boy’s neck, as well as parts of his chest and back, and observed a red mark on the left side of the his neck, “like it had been squeezed,” according to the statement.

The officer went to the home where the incident occurred to meet with the homeowner. The homeowner said he had heard a commotion from another room and went to check it, believing someone might have fallen. Instead, he found Bott holding the 15-year-old by the neck and rushed over to push Bott away from the boy and told the man to get out of his house.

Bott got back up and charged at the homeowner, and the two men got into “a tussle,” according to the probably cause statement.

The homeowner was ultimately able to get Bott out of his home, noting that he did not have permission to be there.

The police visited Bott’s home next. Bott refused to speak to police or allow them to speak to his son. He also invoked his right to remain silent and wouldn’t speak without an attorney present. He was subsequently taken into custody.

Bott was booked into the Washington County Purgatory Correctional Facility and charged with second-degree felonies for child abuse and burglary, as well as a class B misdemeanor for assault and an infraction for disorderly conduct. Bail was set at $23,000.

Bott has since posted bail and had an initial appearance in 5th District Court June 22.

Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @MoriKessler

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2017, all rights reserved.

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9 Comments

  • LocalTourist June 23, 2017 at 8:33 pm

    I don’t condone what the dad did. He should’ve spoken with the father of the bully.
    That said, even though it’s going to cost Bott considerably, I’d be willing to bet that bully thinks twice before being a jerk in the future.

  • pauly June 23, 2017 at 10:28 pm

    I know this story first hand and i will just say this artïcle is either poorly written without all of the facts straight. Why is this ADULT made out to be the victim? He nearly killed the teen, fact is that when you turn purple from being choked and lose bowel control it is near death. The adult pursued the teen. He was infuriated so much he didnt bother to talk to anyone to gather facts! HE ACTED WITHOUT THINKING, AND NOT AS A ADULT OR FATHER SHOULD, BOTH AS AN EXAMPLE AND AS A RESPONSIBLE ADULT. From the statements of muliple witnesses his son was in no way bullied. His son did not like that the other children didnt want to play his game, or that he was “it”. The son after talking with others is known to embelish to gain favor.
    This adult needs to attend “anger management” and possibly jail time and learn to gather facts before acting out of rage, or “father mode” as he called it. I am sure he was so enraged, he himself does not recall the actual event as it happened. And now is trying to make his actions seem “justified”.
    I am sure had the teens father acted out of rage this would be in a much different situation, and a much more serious event would have taken place regrettably. But the teens father handled it correctly like a ADULT and thought before acting irrationally.

    • comments June 24, 2017 at 10:26 am

      They should all meet with the bishop. I think they can work it all out.

    • ladybugavenger June 24, 2017 at 3:31 pm

      The story left out losing bowel control….hmmmm. I don’t think anyone disagrees that the father should be arrested. It’s not right what he did but I’m not sure we will ever get the full story…and your version does not provide the full story either.

      • ladybugavenger June 24, 2017 at 3:35 pm

        The story referenced the boy telling police he wet himself. The story does not say that he loss bowel control from near death of being choked, as you say. That is a big difference

        • ladybugavenger June 24, 2017 at 7:01 pm

          Peeing yourself because of fear is not abnormal. Losing your bowels because of being choked to purple could be attempted murder. So i challenge your facts

          • comments June 25, 2017 at 12:01 am

            I agree LB. I think he’s just spouting off total bs. 😉

  • ladybugavenger June 24, 2017 at 4:05 am

    Someone had to stop the little bully from terrorizing other kids. Although the father got arrested, I would bet the bully kid will be nicer now.

  • DRT June 24, 2017 at 9:22 am

    Looks like daddy needs to let his itty bitty baby boy grow up and learn to fight his own battles! I don’t condone bullying, but usually when you have two boys about the same age and size, they can usually “work out” their own problems. Unless one has never been allowed to handle his own problems.
    If parents are looking to do anything, it should be limited to providing boxing gloves, and supervise the fight.
    But when a parent gets physical with a kid that he thinks is a bully, then the parent has become a bully. I actually feel sorry for the boy, but not because he may have been bullied, but because he has such an immature, insecure, and not very bright father.

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