A Miami man faces child abuse charges after police say he repeatedly slammed his 11-year-old niece’s head into a wall during a dispute that began over a shoe.
Aaron D. Culpepper, 32, was arrested Thursday and charged with child abuse without great bodily harm, according to the Miami Police Department. The incident occurred at a residence near Northwest 67th Street and Northwest 13th Avenue in Miami.
The investigation began when officers were flagged down by the victim, who was crying uncontrollably. Miami Fire Rescue was called to the scene to evaluate the child.
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According to the arrest affidavit, the victim told law enforcement that the altercation started when her cousin took her shoe. In response, the victim took her cousin’s scooter. The cousin then told Culpepper about the argument, prompting him to intervene.
The victim reported that her uncle grabbed her shirt by the chest area, gripped her face, and banged her head against the wall multiple times. The responding officer noted in the affidavit that he “noticed a bump on the back of her head.” The girl was transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital for further medical evaluation.
Following his arrest, Culpepper was read his Miranda rights and agreed to speak with investigators. While most of his statement was redacted in the charging documents, police noted that he explicitly denied pushing his niece’s head into the wall.
The defendant’s mother also provided a statement to investigators. She corroborated the general sequence of events but disputed the victim’s account of the physical altercation, telling police that “all he did was jack her up.”
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Police noted that surveillance footage of the incident may exist, though investigators could not immediately access it.
Culpepper was booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on Thursday. Following his initial court appearance on Friday, his bond was set at $5,000.
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