Former Florida Corrections Officer Under Investigation After Video Shows Alleged Assault on 9-Year-Old Stepdaughter

A video circulating online has captured a former Florida corrections officer assaulting his 9-year-old stepdaughter. The child was dragged, hit in the head, pinned, and slammed in the car. Moments after the harrowing incident, the girl's aunt arrived at the scene, and she confronted and shouted at the stepfather. Reports said that the man is now under investigation.

In the video posted on X by The Facts Dude (@Thefactsdude), the stepfather, who is allegedly a former Florida corrections officer, is seen disciplining the 9-year-old girl.

Assault Caught on Video

He dragged the child, hit her twice in the head, pinned and slammed her against the car while scolding her. Members of the family attempted to protect her, but out of fear, they couldn't as the stepfather authoritatively said to others, 'no' and 'let her go.' The incident occurred during a visit to a relative's home.

It is unclear whether the woman in the video was the girl's mother, but she can be heard repeatedly telling 'Mario' to stop. Internet sleuths have identified him as Mario Grier.

Mario can be heard saying, 'No! I'm tired of listening to this sh*t every godd*mn day.' He added, 'No, it is not okay. You f*cking behave, I'll beat the sh*t out of you.' It's not clear as to why the stepfather disciplined the child.

Moments later, the 9-year-old's aunt, named Leondra Chapman, arrived at the scene and confronted the man in the video.

Upon arrival, Chapman shouted: 'Don't put your hands on her!' She added, 'I have to leave my job to make sure you're not putting your hands on my nieces!'

Chapman said, 'We appreciate you for how you cared for her, but we don't appreciate you for beating her.' She added, 'You gotta stop hurting her! You gotta stop! I have the video.'

She also questioned the number of times the Department of Children and Families (DCF) had been called due to his actions. 'You've had DCF called how many times? How many times? How many times you going to beat them?' she said in the video.

Chapman talked to Wesh2, a television station affiliate of NBC, and said that, based on the video, what Mario did was not a discipline but a 'male dominance.' She also described her reaction when she saw the video.

'I seen it and had a whole panic attack. I couldn't believe what I was watching,' she added, 'These kids need to see that this isn't ok and we're not going to allow this. These are going to be our future leaders at this point.'

Stepfather Under Investigation

The Sandord Police Department was notified two hours after the incident, and after the family had already left the area.

Sanford Police Chief Cecil Smith said in a statement 'The Sanford Police Department received notification about this incident two hours after it occurred, and after the family had already left the area.'

She added, 'Had the family been on scene when officers arrived, an immediate arrest could have been made.'

Meanwhile, the Lakeland Police Department (LPD) on Wednesday said that shortly after midnight on Tuesday, its officers responded to a request from the Sanford Police Department to conduct a welfare check of a juvenile at a residence.

'Officers spoke with and examined the child and her mother. No injuries were seen, nor did the child complain of injury,' LPD said in a statement.

Besides this, the State Attorney's Office has also requested a full case packet to review before any possible criminal charges.

Fired From the Florida Department of Corrections

The Florida Department of Corrections said that Mario is no longer their employee since 17 February and is currently under criminal investigation by the Office of Inspector General.

They also released a statement that read:

'Every FDC staff member is held to the highest standards of accountability and professionalism while on and off duty. FDC has zero tolerance for staff who act inappropriately and in contrary to our core values of respect, integrity, courage, selfless service, and compassion. Any willful breach of our values or participation in illegal activity by FDC staff will result in disciplinary action up to and including dismissal and arrest.

Grier is no longer employed with FDC as of February 17th and is under a criminal investigation.'