Florida father accused of beating son over iPad purchases: police

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A Florida man was arrested for allegedly beating his son after the child made purchases on an iPad, police said.

Andrew Wayne Atkerson, 33, was arrested in Palm Coast on felony child abuse charges after police said he struck his child, 9, and repeatedly threw him against a wall and against other things in the home, the Daytona Beach News-Journal reported.

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The alleged incident took place Feb. 3 and was reported to police after the child’s mother picked him up from school and noticed bruises across his body, including on both eyes, police said. 

The father could have restricted his son’s access to the device but crossed a legal line when he struck him, Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said in a press release.

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"No child should ever have to endure what this man did to his child. It appears this man has no ability to control his rage," Staly said. "Parents have the right to discipline their children but cannot go overboard, which happened in this case."

"I’m thankful the mother reported her observations and the work our detectives and DCF have done on this case to protect the children," he added. "Child abuse victims often have to live with those scars forever."

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When the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) Child Protection Team in Daytona Beach interviewed Atkerson over the incident, the father allegedly admitted to crossing the line.

Handcuffs

"I might have over punished them a little bit," Atkerson said, according to the release.

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Atkerson has a lengthy criminal record and was on probation for a felony battery arrest in 2017.

"Atkerson’s previous charges dating back to 2004 include Battery, Simple Battery, Simple Assault, Felony, Battery, Battery by a Prisoner, Aggravated Battery with a Deadly Weapon, Possess/Manufacture/Sell, Dangerous Weapon, Possession of a Controlled Substance, Receiving Known Stolen Property, Vehicle Theft, Carjacking, Obstruct/Resist Public Officer, Trespassing, Resisting Arrest with Violence, Violation of Probation, and Disorderly Intoxication," the police release said.