A Belleview man was arrested Wednesday after admitting he slapped a 13-year-old girl in the mouth, causing her to bleed.
Michael Lee Crofford, 50, was charged with domestic child abuse without great bodily injury after the incident, which happened Tuesday.
Crofford told a Marion County sheriff’s deputy and a state Department of Children and Families investigator that the victim left the home to walk around the neighborhood and was gone for about three hours when he went to look for her. He said when he found her, she began cursing and being rude, according to the sheriff’s office report.
Cofford said when he and the victim got home, she became aggressive and threatened to fight everyone in the residence. He said while the victim was yelling at everyone, he stood up and slapped her in the mouth, causing it to bleed. Cofford said he slapped the victim with an open hand and never intended for her to start bleeding, according to the report.
The victim told the deputy and investigator that she went walking with friends from around 5 p.m. until Cofford found her at around 7:30. She said when she got home, everyone was yelling at her so she was yelling back. The victim said Cofford stood up and “slapped me like a dude” in the mouth, according to the report.
Two juvenile witnesses said the victim was being disrespectful and cursing when Cofford slapped her, and an adult witness said the victim was cursing and being aggressive, according to the report.
Cofford was taken to the Marion County Jail, where he was released Thursday on his own recognizance. He’ll answer to the child abuse charge in Marion County Court on May 21.