A mother called deputies after discovering a bruise on her 2-year-old daughter’s face and said a relative who had been staying with the family admitted smacking the child. But the relative gave deputies a different story about what happened.
According to a Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office report, the mother noticed a small bruise on her daughter’s left cheek and questioned her cousin, who had been staying at the home.
The mother told deputies the man said he had smacked the toddler because she was tickling him.
She did not witness the alleged incident.
After discovering the bruise and confronting the man, the family told him to leave the residence and said he was no longer welcome there.
The mother told deputies she did not want to pursue criminal charges but wanted the incident documented because she was concerned Child Protective Services could become involved.
A deputy examined the 2-year-old and confirmed there was a small bruise on her left cheek.
The deputy then found the mother’s cousin nearby and asked him what happened.
He denied ever striking the toddler in the face.
The man said the child had been tickling his feet and attempting to suck on his toes. He admitted that he smacked the toddler on the buttocks to make her stop, but denied hitting her across the face or telling the child’s mother that he had done so.
He suggested the facial bruise could have been caused by one of the child’s siblings. He also made allegations about the mother’s supervision of the children and said the siblings frequently fought with each other.
With no witness to the alleged slap and conflicting explanations for the bruise, the deputy said there was not enough evidence at that time to establish probable cause for an arrest.
The incident was documented and the report was forwarded to Child Protective Services for review.