PALM BAY, Fla. – A 25-year-old Palm Bay man was arrested on suspicion of burning a 6-year-old boy in his care with a cigarette because the child misbehaved in school.
Steven Sean Jackson was arrested March 21 on charges of child abuse and child neglect.
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According to Palm Bay police, the boy told school officials that Jackson, his mother's boyfriend, intentionally placed a lit cigarette against his arm. The boy said Jackson did it as a form of punishment after the child received a poor discipline report from school, according to police.
Police and the Florida Department of Children and Families went to Jackson's home, which officials said had no power and infested with bugs and cockroaches.
According to police, Jackson had been authorized by the boy's mother to discipline him. Jackson, however, denied burning the boy and later requested an attorney, police said.
According to police, the boy's mother made statements that corroborated the boy's accusation.
The boy and his 7-year-old brother were removed from the custody of their mother, officials said.
Jackson was arrested and taken to the Brevard County Jail.