When 23-year-old Hillary Adams uploaded a video to YouTube that showed her father beating her with a belt she unleashed a firestorm of anger against the Texas judge. This has resulted in Adams’ suspension from the bench with pay while he is under investigation.
William Adams, a Texas family judge from Aransas County, stated in a brief comment shortly after the clip, which now has over 6 million views, went viral that he defended his actions as seen on the video. He said:
“In my mind, I haven’t done anything wrong other than discipline my child after she was caught stealing. And I did lose my temper, but I’ve since apologized.”
If you missed the original story, here is the genesis of how the video ended up on YouTube. Earlier this month Adams and his daughter had an argument based on his desire for her to return to college. He threatened taking away her cell phone and car, which he paid for, if she refused. She offered to buy the car in a payment plan and he refused. In return, Hillary threatened to publish said video and her dad didn’t budge. She followed through with her threat and in just a short period of time the clip exploded with views.
According to the Associated Press Judge Adams:
“…agreed to the commission’s recommended temporary suspension and waived the hearing and notice requirements, he does not admit ‘guilt, fault or wrongdoing’ regarding the allegations.”
Adams was actually in court Monday for a separate legal matter. His wife, Hallie Adams who is seen in the clip also beating her daughter, sued to change their joint-custody agreement for their younger, 10-year-old daughter. Earlier this month, a judge placed a temporary restraining order on Judge Adams that keeps him from being alone with his younger daughter.
Since the video’s atomic release, Hillary Adams has announced on Twitter that she is working to extend the statue of limitations on child abuse, which is normally five years. She believes it is not fair for very young victims. Prosecutors in Texas have stated that they can’t pursue legal action against Adams for the clip because of the limitations but the Texas Commission on Judicial Conduct, which has the power to remove Adams from the bench, was still investigating the matter.
