PORTAGE, Wis. -- Upset that his 7-year-old son wouldn't wear a Green Bay Packers jersey during the team's playoff victory Saturday, a man restrained the boy for an hour with tape and taped the jersey onto him.________________
Mathew Kowald was cited for disorderly conduct in connection with the incident with his son at their home in Pardeeville, Lt. Wayne Smith of the Columbia County Sheriff's Department said.
The 36-year-old Kowald was arrested Monday after his wife told authorities about the incident. Kowald was taken to the county jail and held until Wednesday, when he pleaded no contest, paid a fine of $186 and was released.
...Kowald, contacted later Wednesday by the Portage Daily Register, said the incident started as a joke. His son challenged him by saying he wouldn't root for the Packers. When he tied the boy up, the youngster was laughing while his wife took pictures, he said.
"Then he couldn't get out and he got upset and that's it. It lasted a minute," he said. "I didn't mean no harm, and he knows that, but I haven't been able to tell him that."
District Attorney Jane Kohlwey said there wasn't enough evidence to support felony charges.
"I wouldn't agree with what he did, but legally a parent can restrain a child," she said. "I have no proof of emotional damage. ... I have to follow the law.
Photo/TMJ4
Mathew Kowald stepped way over the line on this one.
Portage -- A 36-year-old man tied up his young son with tape for an hour after the boy refused to wear a Green Bay Packers jersey during the team's game on Saturday, local authorities said.
Mathew Kowald, 36, was cited for disorderly conduct in connection with the incident with his 7-year-old son at their home in Pardeeville, Lt. Wayne Smith of the Columbia County Sheriff's Department said. Pardeeville is about 30 miles north of Madison.
...The boy refused to wear the jersey on Saturday, when the Packers beat the Seattle Seahawks in a playoff game, Smith said. The father was accused of restraining the boy for an hour with tape and also taped a jersey onto him during that time.
Smith said the incident sounded strange when reported at first, but the mother took pictures with her cell phone and that type of evidence is difficult to dispute.
The boy's refusal to wear the jersey may have just been rebellion, he said.
"We've been unable to uncover any evidence to suggest that this boy was not a Packers fan," Smith said.
This isn't a laughing matter, but Smith's comment, "We've been unable to uncover any evidence to suggest that this boy was not a Packers fan," is kind of funny because it makes it sound like Kowald's behavior would have been understandable if such evidence had been discovered.
Any such evidence is completely irrelevant.
Kowald may appear to be a crazed fan run amok, but it's clear that the guy has serious issues when it comes to parenting.
This isn't about Kowald's loyalty to the Packers or a jersey or NFL football and rage.
It's about how he and his son interact, pure and simple.
The 7-year-old refused to obey his father, and his father utilized inappropriate means to punish him.
Because we're just days away from the NFC championship game, this story is getting attention.
In reality, it's just another sad case of child abuse.
The home environment isn't good. Kowald's wife probably wouldn't file for a restraining order if this happened to be an isolated incident.
Let's not blame this one on professional football and violence.
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