Steve McClairin was arraigned Wednesday morning on several charges, including two counts of endangering children, felonious assault, kidnapping and domestic violence. McClairin is accused of locking his 7-year-old daughter inside the dryer and turning it on. Prosecutors say, "There's no explaining this type of activity. Why any individual would place any human being or any animal or anything in a dryer is unexplainable, and to a normal thinking person, there's no explanation and obviously this man has issues," said Mike O'Malley, first assistant to Cuyahoga County prosecutor Bill Mason.
The child told her teacher at school that her father put her in the dryer more than once. The school contacted child services, and charges were filed. "If you're capable of putting your child in a clothes dryer, you're probably capable of a lot of horrible things," said O'Malley. McClairin remains in jail on $250,000 bond and awaits a pre-trial schedule for January 12. He faces up to 33 years in prison.
Child abuse in the black community is a very serious problem. They say that it takes a village to raise a child, well it also takes a village to protect a child. If you see child abuse occurring in your community, be sure to report it. Dr. Towanna Freeman, founder of Girl Prep Hollywood, a leading forum for pre-teen girls, had this to say:
"Child abuse and neglect are vastly under-reported. This is partly due to the child's physical and intellectual vulnerability and the power the abuser has over the child. Statistics show that a small percentage of child abuse is inflicted by individuals unknown to the child. It is often parents, family members and close acquaintances causing the suffering."
The nightmare that this young girl was experiencing at the hands of her father is simply unimaginable. Thank God her teacher had the courage to get involved.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition. To have Dr. Boyce's commentary delivered to your e-mail, please click here. 


Comments: (10)
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By: ADMR on 1/08/2010 11:21AM
" Obviously this male has issues " indeed...Glad she told she told her Teacher....
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By: Mike on 1/08/2010 6:52PM
I expect some black women (and non-black anti-black bigots) to take this case and compare it to the case of the mother who locked her son in the closet. The point I made on that "lock in closet" post is STILL CORRECT cause all one need to is look at the college attendance and incarceration rates of black males vs black females from these single female headed households. The man who locked his daughter in the dryer is just plain psychotic whereas what that black lady did to her son is very common. Usually her psychosis against males will manifest itself in alot of verbal and emotional abuse of her little boys. It's penis envy and jealousy and of the naturally superior power of a man. Stop it ladies and get over it. When a boy get appx 14 you may drive him to physically hurt you.
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By: Marsha on 1/13/2010 3:07AM
Both parents have something seriously wrong. I think Mike is wrong about the penis envy thing he said about the black females who are abusive to their sons. An abusive parent is an abusive parent, that's it. They should both be dealt with the same. Is the father who abuses his daughter guilty of vagina envy, because the child he was abusive to is female? Sounds irrational, doesn't it?
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By: Sick of the Madness on 1/11/2010 4:41AM
Okay, Mike. So your premise is that single black women are abusers of their sons because they have penis envy. Is that correct? I know you didn't say that all of them are, but you intimated that most of them are. Let's say that you are correct about the number, could it not be that they abuse because they're stressed from running a household alone, or because of any number of other reasons?
And could the difference in numbers of incarcerated black males in comparison to incarcerated black females be because males work out their frustrations much differently than most women? And by the way, I'm troubled by the fact that this is what you choose to base the validity of your premise on.
I'm also troubled by the fact that your blaming the mothers gives those males in prison a convenient escape from responsibility for their own actions.
But moving on. How do you explain away the fact that most of the sexual abuse of our children is committed by black males? Do you guys have "vagina envy"?
If I misinterpreted anything you said, please let me know.
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By: Janet on 1/11/2010 9:53PM
There is something seriously wrong with all people who abuse their children, black, white, brown, etc.
This man and the woman both are mentally deficient. To my knowledge neither article stated that these children were sexually abused, so where are you getting this penis envy concept from? Makes no sense to me. Can you explain further?
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By: Mike on 1/12/2010 12:11PM
It estrogen vs testorerone. It's ying and yang. But in the black community, the women have bought the lie that they, themselves, possess what it takes to raise a boy. You do not ladies, so stop harming your sons by denying your sons a relationship with their bio-fathers. Psychiatrists and pyschologists will tell you when a little girls finds out she has an inny and he has an outty, she gets jealous. Usually, of course, she'll grow out of that. I sometimes feel black women never do. You black women can sell some serious 'woof tickets' to a man and when you succeed at driving him to get physical, you call the authorities. All I'm saying black women, is understand and respect the usefulness of both sexes. Stop listening to lipstick lesbians and their ilk who hate men. Realize those little boys 0 - 12 will grow to become big, ole men. They'll have your back, unless all they can remember is how you used your poison-mouth against them in their formative years and how you kept them from their fathers and how YOU DIDN'T TEACH THEM ANYTHING cause you wouldn't have the slightest clue what a boy needs to be taught. Love you.
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By: Yolanda on 1/09/2010 11:38PM
Please don't just love and HUG this baby get her some help so she won't be messed completely up for life, then to possibly become and abuser. As for the father (notice not the name Dad) he needs not only prison time but also help. If he lives during his prison term he will come out and abuse someone else's child next time. Wonder what drove him to this act? Not that I feel sorry for him just questions that should be answered not save other children from this type of abuse. Acknowledge that child abuse is not new but folk are coming up with unusual things that there needs to be documented actions that are studied to save and or help other babies. Save our children as they are OUR future and we don't want to be mistreated as seniors because care-givers have been abused and are breaking mentally and doing what was done to them. HELP HELP HELP!!!!
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By: NUBIAN QUEEN on 1/10/2010 1:30PM
Someone should put his a** in a furnace and turn it on.
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By: sammy on 1/11/2010 5:39AM
Let's blame president Obama.
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