Texas father arrested after taking away daughter's cell phone: "I was being a parent"

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas -- A Texas father was arrested for theft after he took away his 12-year-old daughter's cell phone.

CBS DFW is reporting Ronald Johnson was arrested by Grand Prairie, Texas officers -- but a judge later ruled there was a lack of evidence to move forward with this case, and Johnson was found not guilty.

Jackson told CBS DFW this all started back in 2013, when his daughter was 12. He found a text message on her phone regarding another woman that he thought was "rude." So he took her phone away.

"I was being a parent. A child does something wrong -- you teach them what's right. You tell them what they did wrong and you give them a punishment to show that they shouldn't be doing that," Jackson said.

According to CBS DFW, Jackson's ex-wife, who happens to be married to a Grand Prairie police officer, found out Jackson had taken the phone from the girl. Soon after, police were called and Jackson was arrested when he refused to turn over the phone.

"I didn't want the police department telling me how to parent my child," Jackson said.

Jackson was released after posting $1,500 bond.

Then, a year-and-a-half later, he was charged with misdemeanor theft.

Jackson told CBS DFW he was stunned.

"Don't you have better things to do as a police officer? Aren't there bigger crimes in the city to take care of?" Jackson said.

Eventually, the judge found Jackson not guilty, and he was allowed to keep his daughter's confiscated cell phone.