A father who whipped his 4-year-old son with a belt, leaving bruises on the child, has been granted probation.The father, Brian J. Reed, 28, of Morrison entered a plea to a reduced charge of misdemeanor child abuse and was granted an 11-month, 29-day judicial diversion. The diversion means his criminal record will be erased as long as he abides by the terms of his probation. He was also directed to undergo an anger management class and must follow the parenting directives laid down by the Department of Children’s Services.According to deputy Bristol Davis, the father lied to him when he arrived to check on the child after receiving a tip the child had bene abused.“He said his son had fallen off a wood pile and scraped his ankle,” Davis recalled the father telling him, noting Reed denied there were any other injuries.The deputy left the house, believing the father’s story after seeing no other injuries on the boy.