Inset: Christopher Maurice Lee (Brunswick County Jail via WECT). Background: The Sunset Beach Pier in Sunset Beach, North Carolina, where Lee allegedly dunked a girl into the water against her will (Sunset Beach Pier/Facebook).
A man holding his girlfriend's daughter by her legs dunked her into the Atlantic Ocean under a North Carolina fishing pier, causing her to become very upset and prompting onlookers to call 911, cops say.
Christopher Maurice Lee and Lesley Suzanne McClam each face first-degree misdemeanor child abuse charges, according to a press release from the Sunset Beach Police Department.
Cops say the incident occurred shortly after 6:30 p.m. Friday at Sunset Beach Pier. A 911 caller said Lee was "intentionally holding a child upside down by her legs, with her face submerged in the water against her will while she was screaming and crying," per cops.
A probable cause affidavit said Lee was "repeatedly placing child's head under water/attempting to while child screamed and stated stop." He repeated the action after pulling the girl out of the water, cops allege. McClam allegedly stood by and did nothing to stop it.
"We are aware that social media posts and videos related to this incident have circulated. The safety and well-being of every child in our community remains our highest priority," cops wrote in the press release. "Anyone who witnessed the incident or has additional information is encouraged to contact Detective Sergeant Miloszar at (910) 880-8512."
Officers identified Lee and McClam as the suspects and took them to the Brunswick County Jail. They have each since posted a $1,000 bond and they are slated to appear in court on May 27.
The North Carolina Department of Social Services was also notified about the incident and is conducting its own investigation, police said.
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