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In midst of cover story, man tearfully admits child abuse, police say

His daughter's head injury, her broken leg - all accidents, he told police. Then his story took a turn.

By JACOB H. FRIES
Published April 29, 2005

LARGO - For an hour and a half Wednesday night, 25-year-old Lee Brooks sat in police headquarters and maintained his innocence.

His children's injuries were accidental, he told Largo police Detective David Green. On one occasion, his daughter slipped from his arms and he caught her by the head, Brooks said. On another, he fell down a flight of stairs, breaking the girl's leg. None of it was intentional, he calmly told Green.

Then Brooks broke down crying.

"He realized that he was living under lies that he created and it was just tearing him up," Green said. "He fell back on his faith and discussed that he wanted to reaffirm his faith. ... As a Christian, he said he wanted to make things right."

Brooks confessed, describing brutal abuse of his 3-year-old daughter and 6-month-old son, Green said. He talked for an hour, pausing at times to sob.

"The flood gates opened up," the detective said. "He admitted to inflicting the injuries out of frustration."

According to Green, Brooks acknowledged striking his daughter in the face when she was a few months old, dispelling his previous account that he had caught her by the head.

He also detailed his role in breaking his daughter's right leg in March 2003. Then 11 months old, she was "fussing" as he put on her shoes, so he grabbed her by the legs, lifted her over his head and threw her onto a bed, according to arrest reports. The girl was later taken to a doctor, but no one reported it as potential abuse, Green said.

It wasn't until last week, when Brooks's son was taken to a hospital, that the sheriff's child protection investigators opened a probe into Brooks's parenting, Green said.

At the hospital, the baby was coughing up blood, and when an X-ray was performed, doctors found he had fractures on four ribs in various stages of healing, Green said. There was also injury inside the child's mouth.

During Wednesday's interview, Brooks initially said his son must have sustained the rib injuries when he performed the Heimlich maneuver to clear the baby's throat, Green said. He later admitted to squeezing the boy on at least two occasions in February when he became exasperated by the child's crying, reports indicate.

Brooks also stuck his right index finger in the boy's mouth last week, which caused the bleeding, arrest reports show. He was frustrated because the baby was vomiting, reports state.

No other adults, including Brooks's wife, witnessed the abuse, Green said. And after each injury, Brooks "gave a series of false explanations to the family to appease and pacify them," the detective said.

His family could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Brooks has been charged with three counts of aggravated child abuse and was being held in the county jail in lieu of $60,000 bail. His arrest late Wednesday was his first in Florida, records show.

As for the children, they will remain with their mother, Green said. Their physical injuries have, for the most part, already healed. "They're both adorable," the detective said.

But the impact of the abuse will linger, Green said.

Family members have to support the children while coming to grips with Brooks' lies, the detective said.

"It just doesn't end with the physical arrest," Green said.

"This is just the beginning of the process."

Jacob H. Fries can be reached at 727 445-4156 or at jfries@sptimes.com

[Last modified April 29, 2005, 00:58:14]