KC man accused of abusing daughter, 9

Jackson County prosecutors on Thursday accused a 42-year-old man of hitting his 9-year-old daughter in the face with a wooden cane and later punching her in the face after she failed to find a cellphone in her mother’s van.

He also allegedly bit her thigh. The girl suffered two black eyes, a knot on her forehead and a bite mark and bruise on her thigh.

Prosecutors charged Alvin D. Griffin Jr., of Kansas City, with three counts of child abuse. He remained in jail Thursday in lieu of a $100,000 bond.

The victim told police she was riding with Griffin near 82nd Street and Troost Avenue Monday night when the van ran out of gas. Griffin told her to find the cellphone and allegedly became frustrated when she could not.

A relative noticed the injuries Tuesday morning and called police. The victim’s mother was in the hospital, police said.