By admin 
TOLLESON (AZFamily) — A West Valley mother and stepfather are facing felony child abuse and aggravated assault charges after allegedly handcuffing their 9-year-old son to a dining room table and beating him with a tree branch as punishment for getting in trouble on the school bus.
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Rita and Staffon Barr appeared before a judge in jail uniforms and denied any wrongdoing.
“Your Honor, I’ve never been locked up a day in my life. All I did was I tried, I only spanked my son on the back side,” said Rita Barr during her first court appearance.
“My whole job is I deal with kids. I was a teacher for eight years. I’ve never been accused of child abuse,” said Staffon Barr during his first court appearance.
Prosecutors said Staffon Barr put his hand over the victim’s mouth and nose, impeding his breathing while the child was crying and screaming.
Court records reveal Staffon Barr works at the Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections and used his duty handcuffs to show his stepson “what happens to bad kids.” According to court records, Rita Barr works at a Valley hospital.
The 9-year-old boy told the school nurse at Porfirio H. Gonzales Elementary School he was abused by his mother and stepfather. The nurse saw red marks and swelling on the student and contacted the Department of Child Safety and Tolleson Police.
“There’s disciplining kids, but when you add handcuffs and when you add beating, that’s not what discipline is about. It’s just heartbreaking,” said Detective Gerardo Ruiz of the Tolleson Police Department.
The victim was forensically interviewed by an expert at the nonprofit Childhelp. Authorities learned the alleged abuse was meant to be discipline for getting in trouble on the school bus.
“Had to be very traumatizing for that child and very confusing about how something that happened on the bus would lead to this as the consequence,” said Virginia Bagby of Childhelp.
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According to court documents, the boy has an older sister and there are two prior DCS cases involving the family.
“It appears that it’s not the first time that corporal punishment has been abused inappropriately against this child,” a prosecutor said.
During police interviews, the couple gave conflicting stories.
The judge imposed a $25,000 bond for Rita Barr and a $50,000 bond for Staffon Barr. Both are due back in court May 13.
When asked about the current placement of the children and the previous cases, a DCS spokesperson said “we cannot comment due to confidentiality laws.”
An official with the Porfirio H. Gonzales Elementary School told Arizona’s Family they also couldn’t provide any further details. “Student safety is the top priority of the Tolleson Elementary School District. Educational records of a child are confidential under A.R.S. 15-141(A) and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act at 20 USC 1232g,” said a Tolleson Elementary School District spokesperson.
Leaders at the Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections provided the following statement regarding the investigation:
As an agency committed to the rehabilitation and safeguarding of youth in our care, the Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections takes seriously all allegations made against our personnel. ADJC became aware of Youth Corrections Officer Staffon Barr’s arrest on May 7th involving off-duty conduct. Based on the information provided by law enforcement, Barr was immediately terminated from the agency.Barr was hired as a Youth Corrections Officer on October 20, 2025 until his separation from the agency on May 7, 2026. During that time, there is no record of formal discipline. ADJC maintains the highest standards of conduct for all of our personnel – whether on- or off-duty.
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