9-YEAR-OLD BEATEN WITH A 2X4; PARENTS ARRESTED

A Johnson Valley couple was arrested Friday, after their young daughter said she was beaten with a 2×4. According to Sheriff’s Sergeant Matt Yost, a teacher questioned a 9-year-old student about black-and-blue bruises on her left hand. The girl said her father, Brandon DaSilva, 33, of the 5200 block of Howard Drive, beat her with the piece of lumber because she teased her sister and made her scream. A deputy confirmed that the girl’s body was covered in black-and-blue bruises, and Yost said DaSilva admitted that he disciplined his daughters by hitting them with a piece of 2×4 wood. Brandon DaSilva was arrested for investigation of felony cruelty to a child, booked at the Morongo Basin Jail, with his bail set at $100,000. In addition, Sarah DaSilva, 33, of Johnson Valley, was also arrested for suspicion of child cruelty, booked at the Morongo Basin Jail. She was released Sunday on $100,000 bail. In 2007, Brandon DaSilva pleaded down a felony spouse abuse charge to battery.