By Cassandra Rules | Free Thought Project

RICHMOND COUNTY, Ga. — Deputy Alton Walter of The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office has been arrested and charged with False Imprisonment and Cruelty to Children in the 1st Degree. He faces the two felonies, after handcuffing a 12-year-old child to a basketball goal and beating him, sending him to the hospital with injuries.

The mother of the child said he was making some new friends and staying out a bit later, so she was mildly concerned. To help try to keep her son on the right path, a family friend suggested having a deputy they knew come over and talk to the child.

“I refuse to let the streets have my baby,” the concerned mother told WRDW.

The boy’s mother was at work on Tuesday evening when she received a call from Walter asking if it was okay to stop by for the talk. Believing her son would be safe in the hands of an officer, she accepted the offer. She claims she could never have expected what happened next.

Walter was off-duty when he arrived at the family’s home, and it is unclear what transpired upon his arrival. What we do know, is that after hearing screams of agony from the child, a concerned neighbor looked over to see what was going on. He claims that he saw the officer slamming the boy against a wall, using his taser, closed fist punching the boy, and hitting him with his asp.

Investigators claim that Walter never tased the boy just fired it off to scare the child. However, the witness says otherwise, and the child has stated that he was, in fact “electrocuted” and has said his thigh still feels a little “weird” from it.

The horrified neighbor called 9-11 and the uniformed, but off-duty officer was detained on Tuesday evening.

By Wednesday morning, the officer was fired from the department, effective immediately.

Cases like these are exactly why it is important to share these stories and warn people of the danger of any interactions with police.

From killing mentally challenged teenage girls after their parents call 9-11 for medical assistance, to killing teenage boys after his parents called 9-11 worried he may be suicidal, the danger is very real and limitless. Thankfully, this story had a happier ending.

Always think twice before calling the police on someone you love.

This article originally appeared on Free Thought Project.