BATON ROUGE - A father was booked into jail after he allegedly beat his son with a belt for being disruptive in church.

According to the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office, the alleged abuse occurred after a church service Monday. A witness took photos of bruises left on the 8-year-old boy the following day and contacted the sheriff's office.

After seeing the marks which were still visible on the boy, a deputy reached out to the victim's father, Chad Stevens. The sheriff's office says Stevens admitted to whipping the boy repeatedly with his belt for how he behaved at church.

When asked if he thought he went too far, Stevens said yes, adding that he had been stressed from work.

Stevens was arrested Friday and booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on one count of cruelty to juveniles.