A Middleburg man has been accused of aggravated child abuse after allegedly using an electrical device to intentionally shock a 3½-year-old boy to teach him the dangers of electricity.

According to the Clay County Sheriff's Office, Paul Trotman, 51, was watching the child after the Florida Department of Children and Families removed him from his parents' home after an unrelated incident. Trotman and his wife were chosen as caregivers by the boy's parents, but the home was not approved for foster care by DCF.

Trotman, an electrician employed at the Kings Bay Naval Station, admitted using a transformer putting out 56 volts to shock the boy who had been intentionally urinating on electrical devices to see them spark.

Trotman told investigators he was trying to teach the boy about the danger of electricity before the child seriously hurt himself.

He told police used the device to send a low current through the boy, while he held two ends.

Police said no harm was done to the child, but decided to arrest Trotman after reading the police report.

"Upon receiving the report, and reading Mr. Champan's statement, I knew that I had probable cause to arrest him for child abuse or willful torture," said Clay County Sheriff's Offices detective Ken Rodgers.

Trotman told police the device he used put out about as much of a current as a 9-volt battery does when placed on one's tongue.

"At 56 volts it's obviously a variable transformer so it could have been small," Cliff Wilson of Dawn Electric of Jax.

Wilson said although it was an unorthodox training method, it could have prevented future harm to the child.

"It's a tragic situation that they came in and removed the child. It probably, in the long run, may have saved his live," Wilson said.

The Clay County Sheriff's Office didn't agree, saying anytime someone sends any kind of electrical charge through a child's body, whether it's meant to harm or not, it's child abuse and willful torture.

Trotman was arrested Friday and booked into the Clay County Jail and held on $5,003 bond. The boy was removed from the Trotman's home by DCF.

Trotman's wife, who knew about the incident and gave her permission for the "lesson", has not yet been charged with any crime. However, the sheriff's office said it would be up to the state attorney's office whether she would face charges.