Fort Mill man accused of punching 12-year-old daughter

A Fort Mill father is accused of punching his 12-year-old daughter in the face after an apparent dispute between the two, according to the York County Sheriff’s Office.

James Edward Bradford Jr., 47, of Oxford Heights in Fort Mill, was charged with cruelty to children, according to jail records. He was placed in the York County Detention Center and released Tuesday under $470 bond.

Deputies responded to an assault in Oxford Heights about 9:20 p.m. Tuesday and found the 12-year-old victim at a neighbor’s home across the street, according to a sheriff’s report. The girl said she went into her dad’s room to plug in a phone and he told her to get out, and even threatened to call the police.

The girl said she called her dad an idiot, at which point Bradford hit her in the face with a closed fist, deputies said. Officers saw the girl had a bleeding, busted lip.

Deputies spoke with Bradford, who was still across the street and told them he has “had a hard time dealing with” his daughter recently, the report states. He said the girl would not listen to him when he told her to leave his room and shoved him when he told her again.

Bradford admitted he “lost his temper” and hit the girl with a closed fist, deputies said. He had tissue covering his bleeding knuckles.

The Department of Social Services was called, and the 12-year-old was turned over to the custody of a neighbor.

This story was originally published March 16, 2016 at 9:05 PM with the headline "Fort Mill man accused of punching 12-year-old daughter."