Adopted boy’s U.S. punishment angers Russians

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP)| Russian officials are closely watching a case involving an Anchorage mother of six who was charged with child abuse after a video that aired on “Dr. Phil” showed her punishing her adopted Russian son by squirting hot sauce into his mouth and forcing him into a cold shower.

The case has sparked a public uproar in Russia at a time when the nation is nearing completion of a bilateral treaty with the U.S. on adoptions. Russia called for the agreement following the deaths of Russian children who were abused or neglected by their adoptive American parents in recent years.

Russian officials say they have not ruled out pushing for the return of the 7-year-old boy to his native country should his adoptive mother, Jessica Beagley, be found guilty.

“This video caused a huge wave of outrage in Russia,” said Andrey Bondarev of the Russian Consulate in Seattle. “We’re going to pay attention because this behavior is absolutely unacceptable.”

Mrs. Beagley‘s attorney, meanwhile, maintains she is a caring mother who submitted the video to the show because she genuinely wanted help.

The boy and his fraternal twin brother remain in the home with Mrs. Beagley, her husband and their four biological children. Mr. Bondarev, who twice visited the family, said he saw no reason to have the boys removed at this point and neither did authorities. He said Mrs. Beagley vowed never to exert that kind of discipline again.

Authorities began investigating Mrs. Beagley, 36, after the video aired in November in a segment on the CBS show called “Mommy Confessions.” The city charged Mrs. Beagley with one misdemeanor count of child abuse last month.

She has pleaded not guilty.

The video, shot by Mrs. Beagley‘s 10-year-old daughter, included sounds of the boy screaming behind the shower curtain and Mrs. Beagley yelling about the consequences of misbehavior. It brought many in the show’s audience to tears.

On the air, host Phil McGraw called Mrs. Beagley‘s actions abusive and over the top.

Mrs. Beagley is married to an Anchorage police officer who was aware of the punishment, Mr. Bondarev said. The husband, Gary Beagley, also was investigated, said municipal prosecutor Cynthia Franklin. She declined to elaborate, saying only that he has not been charged.

On the show, Mrs. Beagley says the boy acts up and lies. She says other disciplinary actions, such as timeouts, spankings and soap in the mouth have had no effect on his misbehavior.

“I would definitely say that [the boy] is the biggest stress in my life,” she says.

Bill Ingaldson, Mrs. Beagley‘s attorney, declined to make his client available for an interview. He said she was on the show to seek help about the boy, who was adopted with his brother when they were 5 years old. She saw a “Dr. Phil” episode inviting frustrated parents to the show, said her lawyer, so she wrote to producers but didn’t hear back until 18 months later.

She originally sent a video showing her talking to her children about cold showers as a consequence of misbehavior, but producers wanted to see the actual discipline, Mr. Ingaldson said.

The subsequent video was made after legitimate misbehavior, and Mrs. Beagley‘s sole motivation was to find solutions, he said.

“She’s being portrayed as this evil person, which isn’t at all the case,” he said. “She’s a really caring mom.”

Show spokeswoman Stacey Luchs said producers routinely accept home videos or ask participants to tape “naturally occurring behaviors and interactions in order to gain insight” when dealing with family dynamics.

“We were shocked by what we saw and called for the immediate halting of this behavior and also referred, at the show’s expense, both mother and child for evaluation and treatment with appropriate professionals,” she told the Associated Press in an e-mail.

Yevgeniy Khorishko, a spokesman for the Russian Embassy in Washington said his office is following the case, which has prompted many reactions in his country.