25 August,2011 11:39 AM IST | | ANI
An Alaska mother of six, who allegedly abused her son to get a spot on the 'Dr. Phil' show, could face one year in prison for making her son drink hot sauce as punishment
Jessica Beagley, 36, has been found guilty of child abuse for forcing her son to drink hot sauce and take cold showers on a taped segment of the show.
A police investigation began after Beagley appeared with Dr. Phil McGraw in November last year in a segment of the show called 'Mommy Confessions', according to court documents.
Beagley told Dr. Phil about her difficulty disciplining her 7-year-old son, Kristoff, one of twin boys from Russia who she and her police officer husband adopted when they were 5-years-old.
"We've tried a lot of different things to punish the kids," ABC News quoted Beagley as saying on the show.
The mom admits to spanking her child and forcing him to do jumping jacks until he's exhausted. During the show, the boy is being punished for getting "three cards pulled," three infractions at school.
Prosecutors argued that Beagley performed the abuse to get a spot on the show.
But her defence team argued that she came on the show in a desperate move to find ways to help her son.