JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A 30-year-old man is charged with aggravated child abuse after a 3-year-old boy was found unresponsive on Jacksonville's Westside.
Daniel Smith is being held in the Duval County Jail on $1 million bail.
The Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department responded Tuesday night after the child was found unresponsive at a home in the 4400 block of Woodmere Street near Roosevelt Boulevard.
The victim was taken to UF Health Jacksonville, where he was last reported in critical condition.
The boy's mother told police that she left her two children in Smith’s care while she was at work. She said the victim didn’t have any significant injuries other than an abrasion on the forehead from falling in the house about a week earlier.
The victim’s brother told the Department of Children and Families that Smith became angry that the child was falling asleep in the bathtub. The victim told DCF that he saw Smith get a belt and beat the victim in the bathtub.
JSO said the child suffered injuries to his legs and stomach, which are consistent with being hit by an object such as a cord or belt. The victim also suffered an injury to his head, possibly from falling or by being hit in the head.
Smith was arrested and charged with aggravated child abuse.
Smith is a registered sex offender from a 2008 incident of lewd and lascivious battery with a victim under 16-years-old. As of two months ago, he registered his permanent address as the Woodmere Street apartment where this incident happened.
Smith has an arrest history dating back to 2004, including several incidents of domestic battery.
Cox Media Group
