AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- A church pastor and his twin brother have been charged with severely beating an 11-year-old boy with a stick as punishment for cheating during his Bible studies.
According to police, the 22-year-old pastor beat Louie Guerrero for an hour on July 3 while the brother held him down, at one point allowing the boy a bathroom break.
The boy remained hospitalized Tuesday, where a nurse told investigators that his kidneys had failed and that he required a blood transfusion. The family's attorney, Bobby Taylor, said the boy was in fair condition.
Joshua Thompson, pastor at Capitol City Baptist Church, and his brother Caleb turned themselves in to police Tuesday. Both men are charged with felony injury to a child, punishable by up to life in prison. Bond was set at $25,000 each.
``Anybody can make these allegations,'' said Jerald Finney, the men's attorney. ``That's what the criminal justice system is for, to sort out truth from fiction.''
Detective Douglas Havens said the boy told police that Joshua Thompson, who runs services for the church's Spanish-speaking members, accused him of cheating on memorized Bible verses. Details of the cheating allegations were not available.
Havens said the boy told police that in the past he had been spanked or forced to maintain a push-up position for an extended period, and that he has seen other children physically disciplined.
Taylor said others members have called him alleging abuses and that he advised them to call police. He also accused the church of teaching physical punishment as part of its doctrine.
``These people thought this is the way it's supposed to be because that's what they were taught,'' Taylor said.
Finney told the Austin-American Statesman that the church has a strict policy against corporal punishment.
The brothers' father, Hank Thompson, is pastor of the church and leads the main congregation of about 300 members. Calls to his home and the church, which describes itself as ``independent fundamental,'' went unanswered Tuesday.
Thompson told News 8 Austin that he believes his sons were trying to discipline the boy, but he doesn't think they alone caused the injuries.
``My son would've used a thin switch, that I'm positive of,'' he told the television station. He added: ``My policy would've never been on the back like that ever. It would've been on the bottom.''