The former dean of students for the Youngstown City School District (YSCD) pled guilty in a domestic violence case on Thursday.

Former dean of students Chivas Whipple pled guilty to charges of assault and criminal endangering stemming from an incident involving his 16-year-old daughter that was caught on camera back in February of 2024.

Whipple was sentenced to 90 days of house arrest and three years of probation on these charges.

The incident happened shortly before 1 a.m. when Whipple showed up at a home his daughter was staying at with her boyfriend. Police said Whipple's daughter was supposed to be staying with her mother, but her mother gave permission for her to stay with her boyfriend.

Police said Whipple was upset that his daughter did not tell him where she was. A video captured from a doorbell camera shows Whipple yelling at his daughter while hitting her and slamming her into a car, followed by slapping her in the face causing her to fall to the ground.

Eventually, Whipple's daughter's boyfriend got involved when he and Whipple got into a verbal argument in the driveway.

Whipple told police he was simply disciplining his daughter, but police described the incident as "excessive in nature" and told Whipple there is a difference between discipline and abuse.

During the sentencing, the victim's mother addressed the court saying her daughter did nothing wrong and reiterated that she had permission to be where she was that night.

The victim's mother called for Whipple to receive the maximum sentence possible for the safety of her daughter.

The victim herself took the stand as well detailing how helpless she felt during the incident and the trauma she had endured following it. She went on to say this was not the first time Whipple had done something like this to her.

“Knowing that my own father, the same man that told me growing up that he would always protect me, can do this that he believes I deserve this pain has shattered something inside me,” Whipple's daughter said. “I am a victim of abuse. I must believe that statement fully so I can move onto the next chapter of my life and understand I will not forever be a victim."

Whipple's attorney Dave Betras defended Whipple's actions mentioning an incident from the night prior to the incident where his daughter was almost kidnapped at a gas station. 

Betras said Whipple was afraid for his daughter when he saw she wasn't where she was originally supposed to be that night.

"That day before, [Whipple] verified that she almost god kidnapped. That's what's going through [his] mind. He's upset, he's scared, he's worried. He doesn't know where his daughter's at. ... On a gut feeling, he drives past her boyfriend's house, and there at 1:00 in the morning, he sees her car," Betras said.

However, Judge Jeffrey Adler was not convinced by the defense's arguments and described Whipple's actions as "vile and reprehensible" and said those actions went beyond reasonable punishment.

"I think [Whipple] went there with the intention of committing physical violence upon [his daughter]. There was no gut feeling of where she was. He knew where she was. He drove straight to [her boyfriend's] house. It wasn't like he was looking for her there, he knew she was there," Judge Adler said.

Whipple originally went on trial for this incident in October, but this trial was ultimately declared a mistrial after attorneys say a Liberty Township police officer violated an order stating no witness was to give an opinion during testimony.

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