GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A 15-year-old was severely injured in Gainsville Wednesday after deputies said a 41-year-old man ordered the teen to strip naked and started beating him with a belt, according to an arrest report.
According to the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office, the teen jumped out of a third-story window at the Bellamy Grand Apartments and ran to a Walgreens about seven minutes away from the apartment to escape from his father, who is accused of child abuse.
The teen also said his father punched him in the head multiple times, deputies say.
The father told police hit his son at least 30 times because the teen did not do his chores and rolled his eyes at him when the father questioned the son.
Witnesses told authorities that the teen was begging for help.
“I came right in front of a young man who was butt naked, no clothes, and I was stunned.” Patricia Jackson said. “The tissue that we were about to purchase wasn’t enough to clean up the blood that I saw. There was a lot of bloodshed.”
Alachua County Fire Rescue crews said the teen was covered in blood and bruised when they responded the the incident.
Deputies said paramedics had to use two tourniquets to contain the bleeding from the injuries he suffered from jumping out the window. Paramedics also found dark red bruising on the teen’s back, butt and arms caused by a belt.
The father was arrested and charged with child abuse without great bodily harm. He was booked in the Alachua County Jail on a $100,000 bond.
“With 30 years of doing this, I can tell you that I’ve seen some of the more horrible child abuse cases come across my desk,” News4JAX Crime and Safety Analyst Tom Hackney said.
He said parents who use corporal punishment may not realize their actions have jumped from legal to illegal.
“The Florida law is pretty clear on when it turns. Ultimately, you can’t leave injuries on a child in the act of corporal punishment,” Hackney said.
Hackney also said child abuse during the act of corporal punishment can be a generational cycle for some parents, meaning parents who beat their kids were likely beaten by their parents.
“Through the years, it has become less acceptable in society but also in the law. The law has evolved to the point where it is more interested in protecting a child because of these excessive things that have happened. In this case, we’re talking about here today, it’s clearly something that is way over the line,” Hackney said.
Hackney said disciplining a child should be about changing your child’s bad behavior.
We want to hear from you about parenting with corporal punishment. How do you feel about it and at what point does it become abuse? Share your responses below. Your response might be featured on a Channel 4 newscast.