Deputies: Father of 5 charged after hitting child with paint can

Carlos Gonzalez, 37, jailed on charges of cruelty to children, assault

CAMDEN COUNTY, Ga. – A Kingsland, Georgia, father of five is charged with first-degree cruelty to children and aggravated assault.

Carlos Gonzalez was booked into the Camden County Jail Thursday night. 

Gonzalez, 37, hit his 10-year-old son in the head with a paint can and the incident sent the child to the hospital, according to the Camden County Sheriff's Office.

Investigators said the assault on Gonzalez's son last month wasn't the first instance of abuse.

According to deputies, Gonzalez's girlfriend and the couple's five children were beaten over a long period of time.

Gonzalez not only confessed to hitting his 10-year-old son in the head with a paint can, but also admitted that he has anger issues, investigators said.

News4Jax crime and safety analyst Gil Smith said it’s unusual to hear that kind of confession. 

“Quite often, they would make excuses for why they do it, oftentimes putting the blame on the victims," Smith said.

Gonzalez’s girlfriend, who News4Jax has chosen not to identify, speaks little English, but said her boyfriend was always under a lot of pressure from working seven days a week.

“Maybe for too long, muy (very) stress," she told News4Jax. 

It’s unclear why the alleged abuse was not reported earlier, but News4Jax learned authorities have placed an immigration hold on Gonzalez.

Smith said Gonzalez’s status may be the reason why the abuse stayed under the radar.

“Since the suspect may be an illegal immigrant, that could be another reason why she didn’t report it," he said.

Gonzalez will go before a judge Saturday morning. Even if he’s granted bond, he will still remain in jail on that hold.

Father's arrest puts spotlight on domestic abuse

The arrest of the Kingsland father on charges of cruelty to children and assault has again put the spotlight on domestic abuse.

Gonzalez was arrested after deputies said he purposely struck his 10-year-old son in the head with a paint can, and the boy was taken to a hospital where he was treated for a head injury. 

It happened last month but was just recently reported, deputies said.

The case is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to family abuse in Georgia. There are also details in the case that are similar to other Georgia cases that should not be overlooked or ignored. 

According to detectives, Gonzalez beat his girlfriend and their five children more than once. Smith said abuse involving an entire family is more common than people may think.

“Quite often, it happens between husband and wife," Smith said. "But sometimes, it does spill over to the children, not even when the children are attempting to defend their mother.”

According to 2016 data by the Georgia Commission on Family Violence, there were more than 53,000 calls to Georgia’s certified domestic violence agencies and more than 5,000 victims and their children required refuge in domestic violence shelters.

Data shows 37 percent of domestic violence cases involved children who witnessed a domestic violence homicide.

The question now is how to spot when someone in an abusive relationship may need help.

“You can usually tell sometimes if the person isn’t very open when the spouse is around or their spouse tried to shut them down or not allow them to be around certain people, or not allow them to express themselves at family gatherings," Smith said.

Then there’s the physical signs of abuse, along with children who visibly tend to cling to their mother for protection.  

In the case against Gonzalez, the alleged abuse was not reported early. Smith said there is a reason why some victims don’t willingly come forward to police.

“In many cases, the person who is committing the violence is the breadwinner. They’re bringing the money into the homes," he said.

So victims may be reluctant to report abuse if it means the family will potentially lose its only source of income, which means the abuse stays under radar. 

There are many local resources for victims of domestic violence. Below are numbers to some of those groups and links to their websites.


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