A 43-year-old woman in Homestead, Florida, faces charges of child abuse, battery by strangulation, and aggravated assault following a physical confrontation with her daughter. The incident stemmed from the daughter visiting a Target store with a friend against her mother's wishes. Police responded to the home late Wednesday night after the daughter reported the attack.
Martha Juliana Mendoza was taken into custody after her daughter alleged a violent encounter upon returning home from Target. According to the arrest report, the daughter, whose age was not specified, informed her mother via text that she was heading to the store with a friend. Mendoza reportedly replied that she could not go but the daughter proceeded anyway. While out, Mendoza sent multiple texts inquiring about her location and urging her to return home.
Upon arrival, the daughter claimed Mendoza grabbed her by the hair, pulled her inside, and accused her of being disrespectful. The altercation escalated as Mendoza allegedly struck the girl's head against a wall near the front door. She then dragged her to the kitchen and sat on her chest, restricting her breathing, the daughter told police. In self-defense, the girl pulled her mother's hair to free herself. A brief pause in the hair-pulling led to Mendoza attempting to strike her daughter with a mop, prompting another defensive grab of the hair by the girl.
Mendoza called 911 to report her daughter. Officers arrived to find visible redness on the girl's face. After being read her rights, Mendoza agreed to speak without an attorney. She admitted grabbing her daughter's hair because she was laughing upon entering the home and acknowledged sitting on top of her during the struggle. However, she denied sitting on her chest to the point of strangulation or using the mop as a weapon. Mendoza described her daughter as screaming, yelling, and cursing at her.
Both parties declined medical treatment. The daughter opted to remain at the residence with her maternal grandmother. Authorities notified the Florida Department of Children and Families. Mendoza is held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center with no bond set as of the latest reports.