GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Discretion advised. Some details included in this report are graphic.
A 19-year-old accused of lying about a child abuse incident was arrested after changing his story to police, according to a report from the Gainesville Police Department.
Police said Justin Shavers was dating the 18-month-old’s mother and was watching the toddler while she was away. News4JAX learned Friday night that Jah’miah Young, 19, was also arrested. Police said she Young knew the child was injured while in the care of her boyfriend.
According to the arrest report, the toddler had a broken arm, bite marks, burns, cuts, bruises and lesions all over the body and face.
The arrest report stated that Shavers told investigators that two masked men with guns forced their way into the apartment and threatened to hurt him and his family if he told anyone what happened.
The arrest report states that Shavers said the two gunmen forced him at gunpoint to burn and bite the child.
However, according to the report, Shavers changed his story and admitted to abusing the child after they told him a security camera was pointed in the direction of his door.
Dr. Justin D’Arienzo is a forensic psychologist who often helps the Department of Children and Families in child abuse cases. He is not working on this case but was briefed on the details.
“Whenever there’s a child abuse case, I always think it’s probably a step-parent of some sort because there is something in psychology called the “Cinderella effect,” where a child is most likely to be abused by a step-parent,” D’Arienzo said.
Shavers, notably, isn’t the child’s step-parent. He was only dating the child’s mother.
Investigators said Shavers told them that he got so aggravated by the child that he bit the toddler multiple times. The arrest report did not specify what the toddler did to aggravate Shavers.
Police said he also told them that he pinned the child down to a bed and burned the toddler with a space heater, stabbed the toddler in the foot with a thumbtack and used a hot pan that he had been cooking with to beat the child.
Police said it was five days before the toddler was taken to a hospital.
D’Arienzo said child abuse is the result of three factors:
“The first is acceptance of abuse based on whatever your prior experiences have been,” he said.
The second factor, according to D’Arienzo, is parental issues tied to substance abuse problems, mental health problems or lack of parenting skills.
“The third factor is the child’s issues because kids with disabilities are more likely to be abused, like a difficult child or a colicky child,” D’Arienzo said.
Because the child had to wait five days before seeing a doctor, police said, it increased the risk of more injuries and infection.
Shavers was arrested and charged with four counts of aggravated child abuse and one count of child neglect with great bodily harm. The case is still under investigation, which means he could face additional charges.