Inset: Aaron Culpepper (Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation). Background: The residential area near where Culpepper allegedly attacked his niece in Miami, Fla. (Google Maps).
A Florida man is behind bars after grabbing his 11-year-old niece and repeatedly slamming her head into the wall during an argument among children, law enforcement in the Sunshine State says.
Aaron D. Culpepper, 32, stands accused of child abuse without great bodily harm, according to the Miami Police Department.
The underlying incident occurred on Thursday at a residence near Northwest 67th Street and Northwest 13th Avenue in Miami, Florida, police said.
Officers were allegedly flagged down by the victim herself, who was said to be crying uncontrollably, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by Miami-based Fox and ABC affiliate WSVN and local independent TV station WPLG.
Then, Miami Fire Rescue was called in to evaluate the girl.
During an interview, the child said the dispute began innocently enough when her cousin took her shoe, according to law enforcement. In reprisal, the victim said, she took her cousin”s scooter.
But then the argument escalated.
The escalation came when the girl’s cousin spoke with the defendant and told him about the dispute between the two children.
Culpepper allegedly responded with violence.
The victim said her uncle grabbed her by the chest area while gripping her shirt, then grabbed her face and banged her head against the wall over and over, according to the arrest affidavit.
After being read his Miranda rights, the defendant agreed to speak with investigators, according to the affidavit. While the great majority of Culpepper’s comments are redacted in the charging document, the girl’s uncle outright denied pushing his niece’s head into the wall, police said.
The defendant’s mother also took issue with the little girl’s upshot of the incident, while generally giving investigators a similar account of what happened except for how things ended, telling police that “all he did was jack her up,” according to the charging document.
One officer wrote that he “noticed a bump on the back of her head,” the affidavit says.
The girl was then taken to nearby Jackson Memorial Hospital for further evaluation, according to law enforcement.
Police said there may be surveillance footage documenting the incident, but that access was not immediately available.
On Thursday, Culpepper was arrested and detained in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. As of Friday, after an initial court appearance, his bond was set at $5,000, court records show.
