Police: Muncie man beat pre-teen child with belt
MUNCIE, Ind. — A Muncie man faces a felony charge over allegations he beat a child with a belt.
Gary Lee Cooper III, 33, is charged in Delaware Circuit Court 3 with battery resulting in bodily injury to a person less than 14 years of age, a Level 5 felony carrying up to six years in prison.
City police said Cooper whipped a boy, under the age of 10, with a belt on March 24, and also "hit (the child) with his hands 10-12 times."
The child said he was struck "because Gary got mad at him for making potatoes."
A Department of Child Services official showed a city police officer photographs of "a large amount of bruising" on the child. Another juvenile told investigators he heard the assault.
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Cooper was arrested on March 31, and was later released from the Delaware County jail.
The Muncie man in 2018 was convicted of domestic battery in Delaware Circuit Court 1.
In other crime news:
Sexual misconduct: A 21-year-old Muncie man was arrested Wednesday after he was accused of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl.
Braden Logan Jones is preliminarily charged with sexual misconduct with a minor, a Level 4 felony with a maximum 12-year prison term.
His accuser told investigators that Jones this spring fondled her and also forced her to touch him.
The Muncie man continued to be held in the Delaware County jail on Friday under a $10,000 bond.
At the time of his latest arrest, Jones already faced two misdemeanor charges — possession of paraphernalia and criminal trespass — in cases pending in Johnson and Marion counties.
He is also listed in court documents at addresses in Indianapolis and Fishers.
Douglas Walker is a news reporter at The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Police: Muncie man beat pre-teen child with belt
