An Augusta man spent his fifth day in jail Tuesday for violently beat his 10-year-old stepdaughter with a belt, authorities said.
Gary Lee Davis, 52, of Fifth Street, Augusta, was charged Friday with cruelty to children in the first degree, a felony.
Davis’ arrest came just hours after he allegedly struck the child multiple times with a belt, causing her “excessive physical pain,” according to a warrant. “The minor sustained swollen red markings to her left arm, right side of neck and left leg,” the arrest warrant says.
The victim alerted officials at her elementary school that her stepfather had come over to her house and beat her. The beating happened when she jumped into an argument between her mother and Davis.
“Leave my mommy alone,” the girl reportedly shouted at Davis.
Davis then grabbed a belt and struck her in the arms, legs and neck area, a sheriff’s report says. The child showed a teacher her injuries when she got to school Friday.
The suspect admitted to whipping the girl in the past, including times when the girl’s mother was working and she stayed with him, the report says. Davis remained Tuesday in the Richmond County Detention Center under a $6,800 bond.
