SAN ANTONIO – A man was arrested Friday after he told investigators he "lost control" and "went too far" while hitting an 8-year-old child, an arrest affidavit states.
Joshua Hernandez, 23, is accused of hitting an 8-year-old child with a leather belt, leaving the child with welts and bruises on his thighs and buttocks.
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The alleged abuse was reported to Edgewood Independent School District police on May 17 after minor bruising was seen on the child's arms, the warrant states. When Edgewood ISD police spoke to the child, he told them that Hernandez, his stepfather, hit him with a leather belt the night before and that his mother told Hernandez to stop.
The child was taken to Santa Rosa Children's Hospital where hospital staff found "more severe welts and dark deep bruising to his thighs and buttocks."
The boy's mother told police that she told Hernandez to stop because she felt he was "taking the abuse too far," the warrant states.
When Hernandez talked to investigators, he said the child orchestrated the attack because he "wanted him out of the house," according to court documents. He took responsibility for the beating, but said that it was the boy's fault for falling to the floor and not "taking his whooping," the warrant states.
According to the affidavit, Hernandez said he hit the child no less than 10 times and blamed the child "for moving while he was beating him."
He was released Saturday after making $10,000 bail, records show.