Darren Keith Patrick was arrested on June 19th for helping his daughter. While the preceding sentence could cause some outrage (why would anyone arrest a father trying to help his child?), Patrick wasn’t arrested for assisting his daughter in any traditional way. Instead, he held down another girl as his daughter beat her and called her names. That doesn’t sound like good quality time.
Patrick’s story is not completely uncommon. Several months ago, a mother beat up a pre-teen for harassing her daughter, another mother hit a child with a hammer. While Patrick didn’t actually hit the girl (reports suggest only his daughter did), he did chase her on a bicycle and hold her down so that his daughter would have easier access to the girl’s body. There are no words for how horrible this is.
I can’t imagine what it must have felt like for the victim in this situation. While ABC 13 doesn’t report why Patrick and his daughter followed and assaulted the victim, there isn’t any reason good enough for something like this to happen. ABC 13 reports that Patrick and his daughter followed the victim home from school. Patrick rode his bicycle while his daughter ran after her, like some sick and twisted scene out of Rocky. When the two caught the girl, Patrick held her against a chain link fence while his daughter beat the victim with a shoe, called her names, hit and kicked her.
According to reports, the victim tried to defend herself but Patrick wouldn’t let her go until his daughter was done. Witnesses say they saw the event take place and News 92 FM reports that surveillance footage shows Patrick and his daughter chasing the victim.
Patrick has been charged with injury to a child and is being held without bond.