For Immediate Release
Nov. 9, 2022

An Independence man and woman face child abuse charges after police responded to reports of a video showing the child's beating, Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker announced today.

Terry L. Watson, dob: 11/24/1988, faces Domestic Assault 1st Degree or, in the alternative, Abuse or Neglect of a Child, as well as Abuse or Neglect of a Child, while Tiffnee Hockaday, dob: 12/20/1983, faces Child Abuse or Neglect of a Child.*

According to court records, Independence Police responded to reports of a child's beating captured on video. A police investigation revealed a ring camera video showed Hockaday throwing the victim by a his arm to Watson who punches the child's back with a closed fist as hard as he can four times. Then he covers his nose and mouth with one hand while he continues to punch the child in the chest and stomach multiple times. He then holds his hand over the victim's mouth and telling him to "shut up."

Prosecutors requested a $50,000 bond for Hockaday and $75,000 for Watson.

Disclaimer Statement in cases of Sexual Assault to Reflect a Victim-Centered Approach: To protect the identity of the victim, we redact pronouns, age, home address, occupation and relationship to the defendant, or other identifying information that does not override a legitimate public interest. We request that only necessary information be provided to the public in a way that does not identify or further harm the victim. In rare cases, we will redact the name of the defendant in our public release- to protect the identity of the victim. Additional details are available upon request.

For more information, contact:

Michael Mansur

Director of Communication
Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office
Jean Peters Baker, Prosecutor
Work : (816) 881-3812
Mobile : (816) 674-3954
www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com
mmansur@jacksongov.org

*Charges are only accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until the defendant is either found guilty or has pleaded guilty.