Man accused of hitting children with hangers, gets charged

A man faces two counts of child abuse by injury.

Owasso police say Lee Thao is accused of punishing two children with hangers, a toy gun, and nails.  Thao confessed to using just the hangers on the boys.

Original story:

Owasso police were called out to an apartment after neighbors hear banging and children crying.

On their way to the scene, officers were told this could be a domestic fight between husband and wife.

Yet when officers arrived to the apartment, the wife was at work.  Instead, police say they witnessed two boys standing behind their father looking scared.

An officer saw welts on the boy's arms.  Police say they asked Lee Thao about the injuries and he admitted to punishing them with hangers for fighting.  He also admited to slapping the boys once.

Thao was then taken into custody for child abuse by caretaker.

Once he was taken away, officers talked to the boys.  Police say the boys admitted to their father using hangers, nails, a phone charger and a toy gun to punish them.  He would use the nails to poke them on their arms.

There were also several broken hangers on the floor.  The kids told police those were the hangers used to punish them.

Police say officers stayed with the kids until the mother arrived home.  Plus, the Department of Human Services sent out a specialist.

Thao was booked into the Tulsa County Jail on Saturday after spending Friday at the Owasso Police Department.