TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - A Tallahassee man has been arrested after deputies say he pulled an 11-year-old child's arm so hard he fractured the child's shoulder.
Robert Skipper, Jr., 38, was arrested on one count of child abuse over the weekend.
According to a probable cause document, the victim's mother went to the Leon County Sheriff's Office in November to report that the 11-year-old had been abused.
When they interviewed the victim, he was wearing a sling on his arm and told officers that Skipper had "yanked on it," during an argument. He told investigators that he and Skipper had gotten into an argument when the victim refused to take a shower before calling his mother.
During the argument, Skipper grabbed the victim's arm, squeezed it, and walked him to a bedroom to get clothes while telling the victim to take a shower.
The argument escalated when the victim again refused, documents detailing that Skipper slapped the victim in the face and hit the victim on the side of his head. The victim said that he then locked himself in the bathroom and eventually, Skipper managed to unlock the door with knife.
The victim told investigators that Skipper slammed the knife down next to the sink once he got in the bathroom and slapped the victim again.
Documents say another witness corroborated the victim's account about the argument and Skipper yanking his arm.
When they spoke to Skipper, he said the victim was disrespectful and talking back. When asked if there was any physical discipline involved, documents say Skipper answered, "I spanked him," and denied slapping the victim in the face or hitting him in the head. He also denied pulling on the victim's arm.
Documents say that investigators obtained the victim's medical records and forwarded them for review by a child protection team member.
The report stated that, "the history provided on how [the victim] sustained the humeral (arm bone) injury is consistent with the identified physical exam abnormalities as well as the fracture location and pattern."
Based on the evidence, a warrant was issued for Skipper's arrest on Friday. He turned himself in the next day. As of Tuesday, no bond has been set for the child abuse charge.
