Dollar General Employee Charged with Aggravated Assault after Spanking Customer’s Child

WRIGHTSVILLE, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Wrightsville residents are weighing in on the case of a dollar store clerk accused of whipping a customer’s child with a belt.

It happened on Thursday inside the Dollar General Store at 392 W Trilby St in Wrightsville.

Police say 39-year-old Emilia Bell took off her belt and spanked an 8-year-old boy several times.

He told his mother about it, and that’s when police were called. 

Bell told officers she hit the boy because he had thrown a cookie and a battery at her.  She was arrested and has been charged with aggravated assault.

Monday, we spoke to a mother of six who lives near the store and asked her if she thought the spanking was justified.

“It would have been on like gravy and ketchup,” says Melinda Ramirez.  “No, she didn’t have a right.  I don’t care what he did.  Say something to the mother.”

We did call the store employee’s home, but the person who answered said Bell didn’t want to comment.

We also reached out to the boy’s mother, but we didn’t hear back.

We did speak to the boy’s father at his home.  He told us his lawyer advised him not to comment at this time.

We’ll continue to follow this story and bring you more as it becomes available.