A Gainesville woman was arrested Friday night on allegations she bruised her son from his head to his legs during a spanking, according to an arrest report.
Dominique Maria Crawford, 27, was charged by the Gainesville Police Department with one count of child abuse after an examination of the boy by the Child Protection Team found numerous bruises.
Facial bruises included marks on his right cheek, forehead and the bridge of his nose. Linear bruises on the boy’s right arm included one that wrapped around the arm. Linear bruises were found on his abdomen and chest along with bruising on his buttocks, thigh and calf.
The arrest report states the boy told investigators he is routinely spanked by his mother, sometimes with a belt dipped in hot water. He reportedly said his mother told him not to tell anybody, threatening to beat him if he did.
Under police questioning, Crawford reportedly acknowledged spanking the boy with a belt. She said the spanking was to make a point about the boy’s behavior in school.