SURFSIDE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – A New York man was jailed after police responded to a Surfside Beach area condo for a domestic call Saturday night.
An Horry County Police report details how officers were called to a condo on Auburn Lane around 10:17 p.m. Saturday night for a possible domestic violence incident. The caller reported seeing a man grab the victim and toss him to the floor.
When police arrived, they discovered the victim was the a 13-year-old boy who had red marks on his arms and swelling and redness around both eyes, the report states.
A man, later identified as 37-year-old John Branning, was walking across the parking lot toward the boy when officers pulled up. When confronted by police, Branning said he and the teen were arguing, and the teen knocked Branning’s glasses off his face.
Police noted that Branning had no visible signs of being hit but did smell very strongly of alcohol.
The victim told police that Branning put him in a headlock and hit him. Branning then threw the teen to the ground and pushed his head into the floor, the report states.
Branning was arrested because he, according to police, “did inflict unnecessary pain and suffering upon [the] child.” Branning is charged with cruelty to children and was released on a $1,000 bond.
