Father found not guilty for branding his children

...Huh.

Quote :

Mark J. Seamands, the Sequim father who willingly branded his approving teenage children with a red-hot iron, was found not guilty of two counts of felony second-degree assault by a Clallam County jury this afternoon.

...

Jury members all pronounced Seamands, 39, not guilty of second-degree assault for branding with a branding iron -- which he fashioned -- the initials "SK" for "Seamands Kids" on his then-13-year-old son's upper chest and his then-15-year-old son's left arm on Nov. 25, 2008.

The branding caused second-degree burns on the boys, according to testimony at the trial.

Seamands' then-18-year-old daughter also was branded with the initials on her calf, but was legally an adult at the time so she could give consent.

"I don't have any comment, thanks," Seamands said as he exited the courtroom.

Family members said they were confident that the jury would reach the verdict it reached.

"I knew this was how it would come out," the younger son said as the family grouped around Seamands and hugged him.

"We were not forced to do it at all."

The daughter, Paige Davis of Boise, Idaho, who during the trial called the branding an act that was intended to "bond" the family while her father and mother were divorcing, said she does not expect her father to be charged with fourth-degree assault and said her father should never have been charged.

Yeah, okay, but it's still fucking weird.

Just... what the hell made him think this was a good idea?

Also, I'm betting it looks like shit unless this guy is a professional tattoo and scarification artist. And maybe not even then.

That must have been some defense lawyer.
"I know it looks like he was torturing them, but they totally wanted it. It was a bonding thing."

IF CHEWBACCA LIVES ON ENDOR THEN YOU MUST ACQUIT

Brainwashing. It's the only explanation. "But don't you want daddy to brand you so you'll belong to him forever?"

Good christ, talk about enmeshment.

Okay, so either 1) they were abused and brainwashed into defending their father or 2) they got their dad's stupid gene and actually thought this would be a cool thing to do. Right now, I'm leaning towards 2.

I remember one of the New Orleans Saints had some brand on his left arm. It looked pretty cool.

This is a totally legitimate procedure, in theory. You know, assuming the guy knows how to do it and the kids are ACTUALLY willing. Even then, you'd think there would be some minor child abuse charge they could have brought.

Also, who here has anything other than braindead speculation that these kids were brainwashed and just aren't the white trashiest retards on the planet?

What the hell? What kind of life must these kids have had, to think that this was NORMAL?!