Dad arrested for kicking 3-year-old son (Baker County, Florida)

Dad MATTHEW TORGERSON has been arrested for physically abusing his 3-year-old son. The little boy--and his sister--both say the boy was kicked by daddy. "Down the hall" the little girl also says. So what brought this on? The little boy had a toilet "accident." Some people should just not be parents.

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/news-article.aspx?storyid=147660&catid=3

Officials: Father Arrested for Abusing Son
Taren Reed Christopher Kelley
Created: 11/4/2009 8:25:54 PM Updated: 11/4/2009 9:07:23 PM

BAKER COUNTY, Fla. -- The Baker County Sheriff's Office has arrested a man they say physically abused his 3-year-old son.

Officials say on October 27th, staff at the day care where the child attended alerted the Department of Children and Families (DCF) that he had "numerous bruises on his legs."

When a DCF staff member asked the child how he got the bruises on his legs, he told them his father, Matthew Torgerson, 32, kicked him.

The boy's sister verified this when asked. She told the DCF staff member that her brother was "kicked down the hall by daddy."

She said her brother was kicked because he urinated inside the home.

DCF staff said the boy had bruises on his legs from his knees to his ankles, and on his left side above his hip.

Staff questioned Torgerson, but he told them his son tripped over a puppy and fell on a stump while playing in a dirt pile.

Torgerson allowed DCF to place his son in another approved household so they could further investigate.

On October 28th, the same DCF staff member contacted the sheriff's office, stating the boy had "over 20 bruises on his legs." She said the bruises appeared to be the result of abuse.

Detectives with the sheriff's office called Torgerson and asked him to come in for a taped interview. He told investigators he has nothing to say and wanted an attorney.

He was arrested and charged with battery and cruelty towards a child.