DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – A father beat his child for wetting the bed and then taking too long and playing in the bathtub, according to the Daytona Beach Police Department.
Franky Lee, 31, was arrested Wednesday and charged with aggravated child abuse.
Police said the investigation began when the child came to school with a bandaged left eye on Oct. 19. School officials lifted the bandage and saw that the child's left eye was swollen completely shut.
The child had missed school the day before.
School officials spoke to the child, who told said the injuries were from being beaten with a belt. The child initially blamed the injuries on falling out of bed.
Lee told police that the child wet the bed in the middle of the night on Oct. 18. He said he got the child out of bed and told the child to take a bath.
He said he heard the child splashing around in the bathtub, so he went in, grabbed the child by the arm and told the child to stop, according to the arrest affidavit. Lee then left the bathroom but returned with a belt in hand when he heard the child splashing once again, according to the affidavit.
The child, still wet from the bath, screamed hysterically before and during the beating, police said. Lee said he stopped the beating when the child stopped screaming then sent the child back to bed on a plastic-lined mattress without any linens.
Lee said he beat the child on the buttocks and on the calf but denied hitting the child near the eyes. He blamed those injuries on the child rubbing his or her eyes too much, but deputies said the injuries were consistent with being hit with a belt.
Lee has been arrested numerous times in Volusia County, jail records show. His previous charges include domestic battery, possession of cocaine with intent to sell, grand theft and possession of heroin.
He is not in custody.