Authorities in Missouri issued an arrest warrant for a man accused of ordering his 6-year-old daughter to repeatedly assault another girl on a school bus last week, officials said Tuesday.
Maurice Fox, 36, faces charges of felony harassment and two misdemeanors, assault and trespass of a school bus, according to a complaint filed Friday in St. Louis County Circuit Court.
St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Melissa Price Smith described the allegations as preliminary and said she expects other charges after the case goes to a grand jury.
Ferguson Police Chief Troy Doyle said that while Fox is not in custody and has avoided speaking with detectives, he created an online fundraiser seeking donations for his legal defense.
“You cannot crowdsource accountability,” Doyle said. “We urge him to contact the Ferguson Police Department immediately or come in and speak with our investigators to give his account of the incident.”
NBC affiliate KSDK of St. Louis reported that in an online statement, Fox said: “I felt I had no other choice as a parent; my only intention was to protect my child and empower her in a world that hasn’t protected her.”
NBC News did not see the online fundraiser or the statement.
The fundraiser appears to have been taken down. A spokesperson for GoFundMe said the platform’s terms of service prohibit people charged with violent crimes from raising money for their legal defense. Those campaigns are removed and donations are refunded, the spokesperson said.
A message left at a phone number listed under Fox’s name was not returned, and court records do not list an attorney to speak on his behalf.
According to an affidavit in support of the arrest warrant, Fox entered the Ferguson-Florissant school bus Thursday with his daughter shortly after 9 a.m. The 64-year-old driver tried to stop Fox, but he pushed the driver’s arm out of the way and continued walking, according to the affidavit, which says the alleged assault was captured on video.
Video of the incident published by KSDK was blurred by police and the station. It shows Fox telling his daughter to “do what I told you to do” and telling the alleged victim, whom the affidavit identified as a 7-year-old, not to touch his daughter.
“’Cause if I find out you’re touching her again, your parents are gonna have to talk to me,” the video shows Fox saying.
Moments later, the video shows Fox’s daughter repeatedly striking the other child in the head.
When the 6-year-old stopped throwing punches, Fox instructed her to do it again and she continued, according to the affidavit. After she stopped a second time, Fox again told his daughter to continue the assault, the affidavit says.
“I want her crying, again,” Fox said, according to the affidavit.
Afterward, Fox left the bus with his daughter, the documents says.
The Ferguson-Florissant School District described the assault in a statement as “completely unacceptable” and said it is fully cooperating with law enforcement.
“An adult cannot enter a school bus and direct his 6-year-old daughter to assault another child,” said Price Smith, the prosecutor. “This is not the way we handle conflict. What kind of a world do we live in when a parent teaches his child to resolve conflict through violence?”
