TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - A Tallahassee man is out on bond after investigators say he assaulted a 16-year-old boy, sending the teen to the hospital with a concussion.
Carlos Urena, 34, was arrested by the Tallahassee Police Department.
On Nov. 3, a person came to the Tallahassee Police Department to report possible on going child abuse, but spoke about one incident in particular.
The person told officers that the Department of Children and Families has been investigating issues involving the victim and Urena, but said that nothing had been done so far.
According to court documents, the victim had run away on Oct. 27 and made a phone call saying "good-bye" because he "could not take it anymore."
When he was eventually found, the victim said Urena had punched him in the head hard enough to knock him out of a chair. He complained of a severe headache and due to his blood pressure being very high, he was taken to Capital Regional Medical Center.
After an MRI, medical staff diagnosed the victim with a concussion. According to court documents, the victim had several cuts inside his mouth from Urena punching him which later became infected. .
According to the CDC, a concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury, or TBI, that can damage brain cells. Concussions are usually not life-threatening, though officials say the effects can be serious.
Documents say the reporting person told his school's principal about the ongoing violence so the principal also filed a DCF report on Nov. 2. When Urena came to pick the victim up from school, school administration wouldn't allow it.
The victim was later brought home, but he did not enter the house and fled on his bicycle to the Tallahassee Police Department.
The reporting person also told officers that Urena had a warrant out for his arrest for failure to appear in court. After confirming that information, documents say officers went Urena's home and took him into custody.
When investigators interviewed the victim nearly a month later, he said Urena hit him because he found marijuana in his room.
The victim said Urena help him down and started to shave his head as punishment. After arguing back and forth, the victim said Urena slapped him in the face, punched him about 3-4 times in the head, and pushed the victim down on the ground.
When officers spoke with Urena, court documents say he admitted to hitting the victim, but denied ever hitting him in the face. He stated the victim accused him of this because "his life is made at grandma's house."
Based on the statements provided and the inconsistencies in Urena's statement paired with his admission of physically hitting the victim, he is being charged with child abuse without great bodily harm.
He was taken to the Leon County Detention Facility where his bond has been set at $10,000. He has since been released.
Urena has previously spent time in jail for battery, drug possession, violation of probation and various traffic violations.
