Inset left to right: Maurice Dukes and Sarahi Gonzalez (Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center). Background: An apartment complex where Dukes and Gonzalez allegedly abused a 5-year-old in Homestead, Fla. (Google Maps).
A Florida couple is behind bars after beating a child with a belt and sandal, according to law enforcement in the Sunshine State.
Maurice Timothy Dukes, 36, and Sarahi Azucena Gonzalez, 22, both stand accused of one count each of aggravated child abuse and child neglect resulting in great bodily harm, according to Miami-Dade County court records reviewed by Law&Crime.
The investigation began on Tuesday when an officer was called to a hospital in Homestead – a medium-sized city in the Miami area – regarding suspicions of child abuse, according to a criminal complaint.
Police said the 5-year-old boy arrived at the emergency room earlier that day with "various injuries," according to the charging document.
"The injuries were located throughout [the victim's] face and body," the complaint reads. "The injuries appeared to be in various stages of healing and included the following: linear looped markings, abrasions, and facial trauma with both of the victim's eyes swollen and bruised."
The charging documents allege that Dukes and "his live-in girlfriend," Gonzalez, "inflicted the injuries" and admitted to doing so during custodial interviews after being read Miranda warnings. The complaint also lays blame for some injuries on the boy's 12-year-old cousin.
"Dukes admitted to physically striking the victim with a belt and also reported that co-offender Gonzalez also hit the child," one charging document reads. "He also admitted to having knowledge of the facial injuries that were inflicted by [the 12-year-old] but did not contact police or seek medical attention."
Gonzalez, for her part, also allegedly admitted to hitting the victim with a belt and "chancleta," which the charging document translates as "slipper/sandal." The woman said she hit the little boy "because no one would help her when she asked for help with caretaking," according to law enforcement.
The female defendant also allegedly told police the boy's cousin "struck the victim on the face multiple times after the victim bit him," according to the charging documents.
Police arrested both adults, while the complaint lists the 12-year-old as being "at-large."
Dukes and Gonzalez are being detained in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on $6,000 and $4,000 bonds, respectively.
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