Ex-wife of man accused in child's beating says man has violent past

A local toddler is fighting for his life after his caretaker allegedly beat him at a Westside home on Tuesday night.

Action News Jax has learned police arrested the child’s mother’s boyfriend, 30-year-old Daniel Smith, on abuse charges.

We’ve also learned his alleged victim is a 3-year-old named David, who is recovering at Wolfson Children’s Hospital.

The child’s grandmother tells us the boy was awake and alert on Wednesday night after he was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries on Tuesday night.

We also spoke exclusively with Smith’s ex-wife. She laid out a history of violence.

“He messed up my life, my mental state. He not only physically abused me, he mentally and emotionally abused me bad,” said Tiffany Smith.

Tiffany Smith said she spent almost two years married to Daniel Smith.

“He’s very violent,” Tiffany Smith said.

“Violent towards children?” Action News Jax reporter Cole Heath asked.

“He can be,” Tiffany Smith said.

Daniel Smith’s latest alleged victim is 3-year-old David. Neighbors confirmed for us a picture of the toddler, his birthday cupcake topped with a candle shaped like a three.

Tuesday night, police swarmed Daniel Smith’s Westside home after crews found the toddler unresponsive, according to Smith’s arrest report.

The reason: Police say the child was beaten with a belt for falling asleep in the bathtub while under Daniel Smith’s care. A violent reaction Tiffany Smith said she’s seen before.

“I feel sad for the boy and I feel like that could have been my daughter,” Tiffany Smith said. “... What if the kid actually died?”

Action News Jax found seven arrests for Daniel Smith in the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office system. We found he has two convictions for domestic violence. We also found he’s a registered sex offender on the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s website for lewd and lascivious battery on someone between 12 and 15 years old.

Wednesday, he returned to court to face his latest charge of aggravated child abuse.

“I want to see him stay in prison, not just for what he did to that little boy, but what he did to me,” said Tiffany Smith.

She also tells us she has a restraining order against her ex-husband. She said that Daniel Smith has a history of abusing animals as well.

Cox Media Group