Perhaps His Belt Slipped?

I am not making light of the victim in this case. Assault is assault. But I can certainly understand landlord's mindset. One of the things that is the most maddening for me as a landlord is the sense of entitlement I have run into from tenants. It is one thing if a tenant looses a job or has a significant hardship. It is quite another if a tenant just wants to stick it to the "rich landlord." I have had tenants say aggravating things like, "How do you expect me to pay the rent when I have to pay the electric bill/buy school supplies for my kids/go to Vegas for the weekend?" Personally, if I were on the jury of this landlord's peers, I would be open to the temporary insanity defense.

Police: Landlord whipped tardy-paying tenant

WAYNESVILLE, Ohio (AP) -   A Warren County landlord is accused of whipping a tenant with a belt on his bare buttocks for falling behind on his rent.

Police in the village of Waynesville say 53-year-old Ron Kronenberger was charged with assault for the Jan. 22 encounter in his office. He was due in court Thursday in Warren County.

Police say Kronenberger told the 29-year-old tenant that if he was going to act like a child, he would treat him like one. He then allegedly hit him four times with a belt, leaving small marks.

Police say the tenant told them he was scared and just wanted to get it over with.

The Dayton Daily News reports Kronenberger is a former chamber of commerce president. His home phone wasn't taking messages Thursday.

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