Man accused of beating son over iPad app purchases

FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. — A Palm Coast father is accused of beating his 9-year-old son after he and his brother made in-app purchases on their iPad.

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The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office said it has arrested Andrew Atkerson.

Atkerson was on probation for a felony battery arrest involving the child’s mother in 2017.

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On Feb. 3, deputies said Atkerson picked his son up several times, throwing him against the walls, closets and other items in the home.

Deputies said the boy suffered bruising on several parts of his body, including under both eyes.

When his mother picked him up from school, she saw the boy’s injuries and took pictures of them.

Investigators said Atkerson told them, “I might have over punished them a little bit.”

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Deputies said Atkerson has faced 20 different charges in two different states (California and Florida) dating back to 2004. Six of those were for battery.

According to deputies, Atkerson was arrested for felony domestic battery In 2017, when he attacked his wife. In that case, his children watched it happen.

“No child should ever have to endure what this man did to his child. It appears this man has no ability to control his rage,” Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said. “Parents have the right to discipline their children but cannot go overboard, which happened in this case. A more appropriate discipline would have been to restrict access to the iPad or make them do chores around the house to pay for the items they ordered, not beat their child. I’m thankful the mother reported her observations and the work our detectives and DCF have done on this case to protect the children. Child abuse victims often have to live with those scars forever.”

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Detectives said they have obtained a warrant for Atkerson and he was arrested on felony child abuse charges.

Atkerson was booked into the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility and remains in jail on a $12,500 bond.

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