Authorities probe beating on tape

The network didn't contact authorities.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Authorities in upstate New York are investigating the case of a father hitting his adolescent daughter that was caught on tape by ABC News more than three years ago and aired Friday on the newsmagazine "Primetime Live."
The incident involving Joe Nelson of Lake Placid, N.Y., and his daughter Kyle was taped as part of an ABC News story on stepfamilies. With the family's permission, the network placed cameras in the Nelson home and taped hundreds of hours, many involving conflict between Kyle, her father and stepmother.
During an argument about schoolwork and Kyle's attention deficit disorder, Joe Nelson erupts when his daughter, then 15, accuses him of lying. He lunges toward her on a sofa, slapping at her with his right hand. He then lands on top of her, punches her once, then four times in quick succession.
The "Primetime" segment chronicles a household so verbally abusive it makes outside psychologists wince and younger children cover their ears and pray to escape from the shouting.
The violent incident occurred in December 2002, ABC said. Kyle, now 18, moved out of the household shortly thereafter and lives with her maternal grandmother.
ABC said it did not contact authorities about the situation.
"This was the only scene of physical punishment in the hundreds of hours of footage," said spokeswoman Paige Capossela. "There was no indication in all the footage that Kyle or the other children in the family were in physical danger."
Admitted striking girl
However, both Joe Nelson and Kyle's stepmother, Lynn, admitted to ABC that they had struck Kyle on other occasions. Joe, a corrections officer and National Guard reservist called to active duty in Iraq shortly after this incident, and Lynn have three children.
The New York State Police, the Franklin County, N.Y. district attorney's office and child protective services are all investigating the case.
"As far as I know, [Friday's program] was the first we became aware of the situation," Capt. Bob LaFountain of the New York State Police said Monday.
ABC's airing of the situation provoked an angry response, with between 1,500 and 2,000 messages posted on the "PrimeTime" Web site.
The network issued a statement by three psychologists -- Patricia Papernow, Scott Browning and James Bray -- who were interviewed during for the newsmagazine story. They all said they witnessed the tapes in 2004, at which time Kyle was no longer living in the house and the Nelsons had undergone family treatment.
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