Naperville police chief speaks out after parents charged with encouraging daughters to beat classmate

NAPERVILLE, Ill. - A suburban police chief is speaking out after two parents were charged on Tuesday with encouraging their children to fight a classmate.

Authorities allege the parents, 36-year-old Steven Teague and 30-year-old Terika Thomas, "prompted, facilitated and encouraged" their daughters to beat a 12-year-old victim.

The incident happened earlier this month in Naperville.

Prosecutors say the victim was at a bus stop when she was thrown to the ground and punched by the couple's daughters, aged 10 and 11 years old.

The parents told FOX 32 the victim was a former friend of their daughters. They claim the child had attacked their daughter first and in no way did they encourage a fight.

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Naperville's Police Chief Jason Arres is calling the case disappointing.

"I don't want to try it in this type of venue, and everything is an allegation until it hits court. These are all allegations, so they have their side. I'll just say that things will unfold in court," Arres said.

The parents told FOX 32 on Tuesday they "don’t encourage violence" and that they tried to speak to the victim’s mother that her daughter was allegedly hitting their child.

Naperville’s police chief declined to provide any specifics about the case. We also asked if there is any surveillance video of the incident, but there was no comment there.

The parents face felony charges for allegedly contributing to the criminal delinquency of a minor.

The parents say they are being unfairly targeted. They’re currently out on bond and due back in court next month.

The victim in this case did not suffer any serious injuries, police said.