By: Aubrey Brown | WCTV Eyewitness News

January 11, 2019

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) -- A man is behind bars in Leon County, accused of whipping a teenage girl after she complained about doing chores.

The Leon County Sheriff's Office says on February 6, 2018, 29-year-old Tavaris Nolen beat a 15-year-old girl with a dog leash after she said she no longer wanted to wash dishes and thought the adults in the home should have to do them, too.

The victim said after Nolen hit her, she got into the bathtub to soak her injured legs and then changed into pajamas. The victim told investigators that later that evening, Nolen came into her room, forced her to remove her clothes and began to beat her with the leash again.

According to arrest documents, Nolen sat on the victim's chest and whipped her legs until another adult came into the room and told the suspect to stop because the girl would not be able to go to school with visible marks.

The sheriff's office says the girl had dozens of belt marks on her arms, legs and buttocks, and the skin had been broken in several places where the buckle hit.

Nolen was taken into custody on Thursday. He's been charged with two counts of aggravated battery on a child.