Police: Rock Hill woman put grandson in choke hold

A Rock Hill grandmother was charged with unlawful conduct toward a child after police say she hit her grandson in the face and put him in a choke hold in front of officers, police say.

Sara Smith, 49, called police to her home on Cauthen Street just before midnight Tuesday because her 13-year-old grandson was being disorderly in the home, according to a Rock Hill Police report. She told officers he was fighting with one of his sisters and was “being disrespectful to everyone in the residence.”

Smith said her grandson “had an attitude problem” and needed counseling for it, along with “other mental issues” she believed he had, police said. The boy told police he felt he was being treated differently than the other children in the home and did not want to be there.

Officers explained to Smith the options available for mental health counseling. While they were preparing to leave the home, Smith began yelling loudly and using profanity toward the boy as he was standing on the front porch, police said. She told the boy to leave and he walked toward the steps on the front porch. Smith swung her right arm and hit him in the left side of his head with her forearm, the report states.

When the boy turned to walk away, Smith put her right forearm around his throat from behind and placed her left arm around her right wrist, locking it in place, the report states. She reportedly pushed the boy against the front brick wall of the home with her arm still around his throat.

Smith was taken to the Rock Hill jail, where she was placed under a $1,500 bond.

This story was originally published July 8, 2015 at 11:19 AM with the headline "Police: Rock Hill woman put grandson in choke hold."