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Times Staff WriterThe man's relationship to the child is unclear. The child had marks and bruises on the buttocks, rib cage and elbows.
SPRING HILL - A 33-year-old Spring Hill man was arrested and charged with felony child abuse after he allegedly struck a toddler's buttocks so severely that he left deep tissue bruises.
Jammie L. Worley of 9474 Lakeview Court was arrested at the sheriff's District 2 office at 8 p.m. Monday when a physical examination revealed that some of the older bruises on the child were consistent with abuse, a sheriff's report said.
Worley, who is self-employed, was charged with child abuse, a third-degree felony that carries a sentence of at least five years in prison.
Bail was set at $5,000.
Authorities began investigating the case on Monday after abuse allegations were reported to the Department of Children and Families' abuse hotline.
A sheriff's deputy responded to the child's day care center, where the victim reportedly told them that Worley caused bruises to his buttocks, the report said.
After speaking with the victim, authorities found several deep bruises on the child's buttocks and marks on the buttocks, rib cage and elbows consistent with fingers. Employees at the daycare facility told authorities that the child has exhibited signs of fear toward Worley, but he did not have any bruises on Friday, the report stated.
Authorities believe that the abuse may have occurred sometime on Saturday, when a witness whose identity is being withheld noticed the bruises and confronted Worley, who told her that the child fell on a rock.
The relationship between Worley and the victim was unclear.
The child's name is being withheld by the Times because of his age and the nature of the allegations.