BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Police in Alabama say a man whipped his girlfriend’s 3-year-old son and then put him in a bathtub of scalding water.
News outlets report 42-year-old Antonio Cook was charged with aggravated child abuse in connection with the Saturday incident.
A Birmingham police news release says investigators found that the suspect whipped the child with a belt and then placed him in the bathtub of scalding water. Police say the child received blistering and bruising.
Sgt. Johnny Williams says the child was defenseless when he was attacked by someone that “we all believed would protect him.” It’s unclear if Cook has a lawyer who could comment.