ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – A 3-year-old boy had to be treated for a 1-inch laceration on his forehead at Flagler Hospital after he was physically abused by his father, investigators said.
Brandon Wilson, 24, of St. Augustine, was arrested Wednesday and charged with one count of aggravated child abuse, which is a first-degree felony.
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According to the arrest report, a St. Augustine police officer was called to Flagler Hospital on Tuesday morning, in reference to a suspected child abuse accusation. The officer recorded an interview with the boy and his mother, who told the officer she lives with her boyfriend, identified as Wilson, and their children.
She said she left their children, including her 3-year-old son who is nonverbal with a learning disability, in the care of Wilson while she went to work in St. Augustine Beach, police said.
She told police that a child picked up the phone when she called home about 7:40 a.m. and was crying. The phone was then hung up. The woman told police that’s when she called her parents to see if they could go by the apartment.
According to the report, her father checked on his grandchildren and learned that his 3-year-old grandson had suffered a large laceration to his forehead that would not stop bleeding. The boy’s mother told him to take the boy to the hospital and call police.
The boy received several stitches for a 1-inch gash in the middle of his forehead, police said.
A detective noted in the arrest report that no one was in the apartment when they went by and they found a small amount of blood on the kitchen floor and two rags soaked in blood.
The victim’s mother showed a detective text messages between her and Wilson after she learned her child had been injured.
Victim’s Mother: “You busted ---- head open.”
Wilson: [Smiley face emojis] “I told you to bring your dumb a… home. You don’t want to listen so f..k it. You don’t care about my wellbeing so I don’t care about yours or nothing you care about.”
Victim’s Mother: “That’s your child. You know I have to go to work.”
Wilson: “Not my ---. That’s all you. This what you wanted.”
Victim’s Mother: “Yes he is yours all day and you hurt him. You don’t care about nobody. Whatever happens to you, you deserve it.”
Wilson: “Yep. Yep. Yep. Go ahead and snitch. I actually want you to this time. So you got an ambulance. Lol.”
The rest of the text messages were too vulgar to disclose.
Later that day, detectives spoke to Wilson, who told them the child was injured accidentally.
The report says that he told police the child was acting up, so he hit the boy in the chest with the back of his hand five times. He also told police that he popped the boy upside his head because “that is how his daddy did it to him.” According to the report, after being hit in the face, the boy fell and hit his face on a closet door.
The Florida Department of Children and Families was notified about the allegations.
On Wednesday, Wilson was arrested at a laundromat on Anastasia Boulevard. He's charged with first-degree aggravated child abuse.
The detective handling the case noted in his report that Wilson knowingly and willfully inflicted physical pain on the victim by striking the boy on the face with his fist, causing a large laceration to the child’s forehead.
Later in the report, the detective noted that Wilson struck his 3-year-old son after becoming upset about the boy crying.
According to the report, there was a witness in the house who was able to give police detailed information about what happened. It’s unclear if that witness was another child.
Wilson remains in jail on a $20,000 bond.