Man allegedly blamed playground popsicle fight between kids for 6-year-old's injuries — and then the boy talked to police

Inset: Kev'Ronn Brown (Franklin County (Ohio) Sheriff's Office). Background: Franklin County (Ohio) Sheriff's Office (Google Maps).

An Ohio man allegedly tried to blame a 6-year-old boy's serious injuries on a kids' playground fight over a popsicle — until the child himself started talking to investigators, police say.

Kev'Ronn Brown, 26, was arraigned Wednesday in Franklin County Municipal Court on charges of endangering children, which includes a specification of torture and cruel abuse.

The boy in question was brought to Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus at around 1:30 a.m. on April 18, suffering from a fractured arm, a swollen face, and a bloodshot left eye, local CBS affiliate WBNS reported.

Brown allegedly initially told the hospital — as well as law enforcement — that the boy's injuries were the result of an attack by a group of older kids, aged 12 to 14, in a fight over a popsicle at a local playground.

However, an investigation by Franklin County Children's Services (FCCS) apparently revealed a different set of facts, according to WBNS. When the boy was interviewed by FCCS investigators, he reportedly told them that the injuries were actually caused by Brown, who is his mother's live-in partner.

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The child reported that Brown beat him up in a hotel room two days earlier, on April 16, while other members of his family were asleep.

The boy told investigators that Brown punched him, hit his back and shoulder, placed hot sauce in his eyes and mouth, and dropped him on his head, according to a probable cause affidavit reviewed by the TV station.

The boy reportedly gave the same account to Columbus police detectives in a follow-up interview a week later.

A medical evaluation determined that the child had suffered serious injuries, including a broken bone in his left shoulder and a hemorrhage in his left eye.

FCCS subsequently took emergency custody of the victim and the other children in the household.

Court records indicate that Brown has a history of arrests for physically abusing a minor, and at the time of his arrest, Brown reportedly had outstanding warrants from incidents in 2022 and 2024.

At Wednesday's arraignment, a judge set Brown's bond at $800,000. He remains in custody and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on July 10.