A Chattanooga man is accused of aggravated child abuse after a 2-year-old girl apparently suffered burns and bruises while her mother was at work.
Earlier this month, a woman called Chattanooga police when she got home from work and noticed burns, bruises and other injuries on her daughter, according to Hamilton County court records.
She told police that Kaelan Duckett, 19, had agreed to watch the child while the mother was at work Saturday morning.
The woman said she confronted Duckett about what happened to the child. She said Duckett admitted to "whopping" the child with a belt and said he didn't have the belt anymore because it broke, court records show.
The woman showed police text messages between herself and Duckett that showed him apologizing for the beating and "pleading for her to come back," court records show.
"U really gone get me locked up," one text message read, according to court records.
Investigators then spoke to the child and asked her what happened.
"She simply said 'he whooped me,'" investigators wrote.
Duckett was arrested on May 13 and taken to the Hamilton County Jail where his bond was set at $100,000, according to court records. He is expected in court on May 20.
Contact Rosana Hughes at rhughes@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6327 with tips or story ideas. Follow her on Twitter @Hughes Rosana.
Kaelan Duckett