FLINT, MI - A Flint pastor and charter school founder has pleaded no contest an assault and battery charge after he was accused of spanking a 6-year-old boy at his church.

The Rev. Reginald Flynn, pastor of Foss Avenue Baptist Church and founder of Eagles Nest Academy charter school, pleaded Monday, Aug. 6 before Genesee District Judge Nathaniel Perry III.

The no contest plea is not an admission of guilt, but it is treated as such during sentencing. The charge is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 93 days in jail. If he has no police contact for six months, the charge will be dismissed at sentencing, according to the plea agreement.

Sentencing is scheduled for February.

The victim's mother, Chanteria Bethay, asked Perry not to accept the plea when she addressed the judge on Monday.

Bethay said Flynn took her son from school to the church.

"He picked my son up with no permission and took him to the church," Bethay said. "Why did you take this 6-year-old boy to the church, tell him to get on his knees and hit him with a paddle? I don't do that to my son. You should see my son's neck and his face. I have all the pictures. That's not right. He should not get away with no misdemeanor. This is not right."

Perry used a report from the Flint Police Department to form a factual basis for the plea.

In the report, Sgt. Ron Dixon took a complaint Feb. 8 from Bethay, who claimed Flynn beat her son at Foss Avenue Baptist Church.

The report said Flynn took Bethay's son from school without permission to Flynn's office at the church, made him touch his toes and spanked him four times with a spatula. He also grabbed the boy by the neck and face, the report said.

Perry said the police report also indicated that there were scratch and streak marks on the boy's neck.

He then took the boy to Eagle's Nest Day Care after the incident, which Flynn also operates, according to the police report.

Flynn said little during the hearing apart from entering the plea.

"The allegations against me are unfounded," Flynn said via text message after Monday's court proceedings. "My track record in nurturing children and serving families over the past decade is impeccable. The work I do to empower families in north Flint will not be discouraged by efforts to discredit or disgrace me."

Flynn's attorney, Archie Hayman, said Flynn was taking the no contest plea because of a potential civil lawsuit and because Flynn did not want the child to have to go through the court proceedings.

Hayman said Flynn, prior to the incident, had attempted to contact Bethay because the child was having behavioral issues at school, but he was unable to reach her.

"My client is innocent," Hayman said. "My reaction is that was a good disposition of this case given the fact that my client does not want to put this child through the process and the rigors of cross-examination."

Prosecutors did not provide any details Monday as to what led to the assault charge and Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton has declined to comment on the case.