Dr. Phil Guest Hit With Child Abuse Charges

An appearance on Dr. Phil has resulted in child abuse charges for an Alaska mother who disciplined her child with hot sauce and cold showers, the Anchorage Daily News reports. Jessica Beagley, 36, has also become a bit of a sensation in the Russian media, as her 7-year-old son is an adopted orphan from there. The video shown on Dr. Phil shows Beagley putting hot sauce in the boy's mouth and forcing him into a cold shower against his will, while the boy sobs.

Beagley was charged after the show aired, and one of her attorneys entered a plea of not guilty in court today. "She has not done anything that would warrant a criminal charge for child abuse," said her lawyer. "If this hadn't showed up on Dr. Phil, there wouldn't be anybody saying anything about it." An official in charge of Russian adoptions in Alaska defended Beagley, saying she was encouraged to submit a controversial video in order to get on the show—with the overall goal of getting proper help for the boy. "It's not all white and black," she said. "There are shades in between." (More Russia stories.)