Police: dad beat 3-year-old son with hanger (Peoria, Arizona)

UNNAMED DAD here. Mom was afraid to report the incident for fear her children would be taken away--and then they were.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2011/05/24/20110524peoria-police-say-man-beat-son-with-hanger-abrk.html

Peoria police: Father beat his 3-year-old son with a hangerby Shala Marks - May. 24, 2011 01:44 PM
The Arizona Republic-12 News Breaking News Team

Police arrested a Peoria man for beating his 3-year-old son with a hanger.

The 21-year-old father was arrested Friday.

The child had welts and lacerations over his body, Peoria police spokesman Jay Davies said.

Police received an anonymous tip about possible child abuse Friday morning. They arrived at the apartment on the 13300 block of North 88th Avenue around noon.

The child's 21-year-old mother told police that on May 18 her boyfriend told her he had beaten their son with a hanger. She told police he told her, "I did something bad, I spanked baby," Davies said.

The woman told police her boyfriend said it was because the toddler had thrown toys all over the place, broken a door and rubbed shoes over freshly washed carpet.

The woman told police she went to bed and said she would "deal with it in the morning."

The next day the boyfriend showed her the hanger he used and the woman told police she planned to throw it away, Davies said.

She saw the marks on her son's body, but did not report the incident to police because she did not want her children to be taken away, Davies said.

When officers arrived at the home, the woman told them her boyfriend was at work.

The boyfriend later walked out of the bathroom and told police he hid in the shower because he was afraid, Davies said.

Police also arrested the woman on suspicion of failing to protect her children and providing false information to police.

The boy and a 1-year-old girl were placed in the custody of Child Protective Services.