Cops Say Convict Dad Used Iron on Boy
Miami police are looking for a man who allegedly tortured his son April 12.
April 24, 2008 -- The reunion between a Miami man recently released from prison and his 12-year-old son went horribly wrong when the convict allegedly whipped the boy with a belt and tortured him with a hot iron.
The Miami Police Department has a warrant for the arrest of Cedrick Brown, 27, for physically abusing his son in "what can only be described as unspeakable horrors," according to a police department statement.
The reunion began, the boy told police, when his father picked him up from school Wednesday, April 9, less than a month after his release March 17 following three years in jail.
The boy said that their first day together was "wonderful," but that things quickly soured. On the drive home Friday, according to the police statement, Cedrick Brown turned to his son and allegedly said, "I know about you acting up in school yesterday."
Brown then asked his son whether he wanted "his beating" Friday or if he wanted to wait until Saturday. "I'll take tomorrow," the boy said.
Miami police said that on Saturday around 11 a.m., the father made good on his promise. "Are you ready for your beating?" he allegedly asked his son.
"Within seconds, Brown pounced on the child, beating him with his hands and fists, then a belt and stick," according to police. "At one point, Brown stripped the child naked, sat on top of him, plugged in an iron and continued to beat the child while waiting for the iron to heat up."
When it did, police said, he used it to burn the child, pressing the hot metal against the boy's skin nearly a half-dozen times. The beating was not over, however, as Brown allegedly choked the child, threatened to castrate him and bit his son's fingers and toes.
Cedrick Brown's mother, 43-year-old Annette Brown, was in the house during the beating, according to police. She was arrested and faces a single count of child neglect for failure to report her son's abuse.
The boy was kept out of school the following week, police said, out of fear that someone might see his injuries and report them to police.
Images of the boy's extremeties taken by police at the hospital show the extent of his injuries.
Authorities are asking for the public's help finding Cedrick Brown, who has an extensive criminal record, according to Miami police.