MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A Minnesota mom accused of forcing her 12-year-old daughter to run outside in a diaper and tank top appeared in court Monday.
She says she did it as a punishment for bad grades.
Stephanie Ann Broten, 38, was charged with malicious punishment of a child. Her 34-year-old boyfriend, Darnell Alan Landrum, faces the same charge.
Broten tried dodging WCCO-TV’s camera as she left the Anoka County Courthouse. She allegedly forced her daughter to run up and down a hill six times last May. The girl stood outside crying hysterically for more than 30 minutes.
She even allegedly shaved her daughter’s head before forcing her to wear the Depends diaper in front of nearly a 100 people.
Broten called the punishment “diaper duty,” according to police. Her lawyer says she regrets what she did.
Broten entered the guilty plea in court on Monday afternoon.
“My client is very remorseful about this,” said Broten’s attorney, Tyler Bliss. “She’s looking forward to putting this behind her and getting her family back together.”
Broten’s daughter got an F on her report card. Broten told Fridley police that she was simply disciplining her child by embarrassing her and did not see what the problem was.
The girl’s fahter was outraged at what happened to his daughter.
“I was devastated. I didn’t know what to think,” he said last May. “They need to know they’re safe, loved, and these kinds of acts are not going to happen anymore.”
The girl and her siblings were taken from Broten’s home and placed in protective custody.
Broten could go to jail for a year. She’ll learn her sentence in three weeks.
