Iowa Man Charged with Using Cattle Prod on Kids

SWAN, Iowa (AP) — A man has been accused of using a cattle prod to discipline two children in south-central Iowa.

Court records say 36-year-old Travis Coker, of rural Swan in Marion County, pleaded not guilty Thursday to two counts of felony child endangerment causing injury.

Criminal complaints say the girls reported that Coker used the prod to shock them as a "form of discipline."

Marion County Sheriff Jason Sandholdt says the 11- and 13-year-old girls weren't doing their chores fast enough on the family farm, so Coker decided to use the prod — a hand-held rod that delivers an electric shock to control livestock.

The court records also say Coker and his wife corroborated the girls' statements.