An Horry County man was arrested and charged in connection to an assault on a child.
30-year-old Gerald Lee Dantzler was arrested and charged with unlawful neglect of a child or helpless person by a legal custodian on Monday, according to J. Reuben Long Detention Center booking records. He was given a $5,000 bond and released Monday evening.
A police report from the Horry County Police Department says a woman left her 2-year-old son in the custody of Dantzler while she ran errands. When the mother returned to pick up the child, she noticed slight swelling to her son’s eye and lip. The mother then took the child with her to church, where she was approached by other people who noticed the swelling and other injuries to the child, according to the report. These other injuries included bruising on the temple area of the child’s head, swelling to the child’s left eye and upper lip, a small abrasion above his left eye, and several red markings on his lower back.
The report also says the mother confronted Dantzler about the incident. He admitted to the mother he spanked the child on the butt, but said he wasn’t responsible for the other injuries.
No other information about the mother, the child, Dantzler, or the incident has been released.