Revere Police Detective Charged With Child Abuse
CHELSEA (CBS) -- A Revere Police officer is out on bail after pleading not guilty on child abuse charges.
Authorities say Detective Marcos Garcia, 32 of Saugus, confessed to hitting his girlfriend's 5-year-old son with a belt six times after the boy refused to eat dinner Thursday night.
But prosecutor Alissa Goldhaber says the officer also put the child in handcuffs, grabbed him by the neck, and punched him.
The boy went to school the next day and asked the school nurse for a bandage. According to the Suffolk DA's office, the nurse saw bruises on the boy's torso, arms, and neck. He was taken to Boston Children's Hospital.
The child initially didn't report the alleged abuse, but after being questioned by authorities, the boy and his brother said Garcia beat the 5-year-old and told them both to say he fell down the stairs if anyone asked about his injuries.
Garcia was then arrested by State Police on Saturday.
"Cases of child abuse are among the most disturbing we encounter," Suffolk District Attorney Dan Conley said in a statement Thursday. "They hurt the most innocent and vulnerable among us. If you know or suspect that a child is being abused, don't assume that someone else will notice and report it. Call us. Every boy and girl deserves a safe and healthy childhood."
The judge set a $5,000 cash bail on Garcia, and ordered him to have no contact with the victims, witnesses, and any other children under 18 without the parent or guardian's knowledge.
Garcia is due back in court for a pre-trial hearing on February 23.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Bernice Corpuz reports