VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – A Volusia County man faces charges after deputies said he punched, kicked and used a mop handle to beat a 5-year-old boy.
Shawn Stone, 32, was arrested Tuesday.
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According to an arrest report, deputies responded to AdventHealth DeLand on Tuesday for a report of child abuse
The victim’s mother said Stone had beaten her son.
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The victim’s mother said earlier in the day she left her home and left Stone at home with her son and another son that the couple had together. When leaving, the woman noted that Stone was frustrated and angry.
According to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, while on her drive to an appointment, she began to have a bad, “gut feeling,” that something was wrong at home. She opened her camera application on her phone that showed a live view their living room and witnessed Stone standing over her son — who was lying in his bed — repeatedly punching the boy in the head.
Deputies said she saw that her son was able to get off the bed, but as soon as he did, Stone began to kick him. According to the report, she could hear her son begging for Stone to stop, and after a few moments he did, but then grabbed a mop and began striking the boy again.
She told deputies that saw Stone strike her son so hard and often that the head of the mop broke off, investigators said.
According to the report, the camera application stopped working and she was unable to view it, believing Stone disconnected the cameras and even deleted the footage.
Once home, the boy’s mother confronted Stone who said “I [expletive] hate you” and “I [expletive] hate your son,” deputies said.
Stone then grabbed the keys to their ATV and left the home.
Kudos to these @VolusiaSheriff deputies who just tracked down my Scumbag of the Week. This morning, Shaw M. Stone punched, kicked, and used a mop handle to beat a 5-year-old child who had an accident. Then he fled on a 4-wheeler. He’s headed to jail for aggravated child abuse. pic.twitter.com/a5oelR9xq1
— Mike Chitwood (@SheriffChitwood) May 9, 2023
According to the report, the woman told deputies Stone had only disciplined her son once before by spanking him on the bottom, but after that, she told him he was not allowed to physically discipline him anymore.
Deputies said they saw numerous bruises on the victim, including a cut to his lip. Investigators said they also found cigarette burns on the boy.
Doctors also noted several other injuries, including a fractured skull, a healing fracture of an arm and healing fractures of several ribs.
According to the report, at the same time deputies were interviewing the boy, Stone was taken into custody by deputies.
Once in custody, Stone stated the boy “hated” him and that his “anger got the best of me.”
Stone faces charges of aggravated child abuse.
To donate to the family who received emergency custody of the suspect’s children, click here.
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