Milwaukee man repeatedly burned two-year-old with lighter because he was 'mad' at toddler's mother for not answering his calls
A Milwaukee man has been arrested and charged after he admitted to repeatedly burning his girlfriend's two-year-old son because he was mad at the mother.
The Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office began investigating Lamont Powell, 30, after the boy's biological father took him to the emergency room at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin on September 23 after he picked him up from Powell's place and noticed injuries on the toddler's body, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
The toddler had patterned burns to his cheek, armpit, chest, and stomach, which a child abuse pediatrician said had the typical appearance of those that had been inflicted by a lighter.
Judy Guinn, the pediatrician, said the "burns would have been extremely painful when they occurred and would have continued to cause pain and discomfort until medical treatment and pain management were initiated."
"Dr. Guinn stated that the injuries (and also subsequent delay in seeking care) placed (the victim) at risk for infection and permanent scarring, the full extent of which will not be known for at least several weeks to months, or possibly longer," a criminal complaint filed in connection to the case read.
When investigators spoke with Powell, who also has a biological child with the two-year-old's mother, he said they were staying together at a home near 22nd Street and Meinecke Avenue when the "accidental burns" happened.
He later changed his story and admitted to causing the injuries on September 21, when he was alone at home with the victim and his child. He said he became "mad" at the toddler's mother for not answering her phone and burned him multiple times, telling investigators, "That little [expletive] like fire."
The 30-year-old reportedly apologized for his actions and for not taking the child to the hospital that night. He also claimed he and the mother applied vaseline on the burns after she came back home that night. Powell turned himself in after talking to the toddler's father and is facing charges of physical abuse of a child -- intentionally causing bodily harm by conduct which creates a high probability of bodily harm, mayhem, as well as neglecting child abuse.
He is currently being held on a bond of $10,000 and is scheduled to appear for his preliminary hearing on October 10.