Unnamed boy - 3 yo - / Arrested: Mother Breanna Love, Joshua Carter - Titusville FL

Mom, boyfriend face charges after 3-year-old suffers broken ribs


Carter, Love

TITUSVILLE, Fla. —

Police in Titusville arrested a mother and her boyfriend Monday night after a
3-year-old boy, who is now in critical condition, suffered broken ribs
and bleeding in his abdomen.

Police said 20-year-old Joshua Carter admitted to hitting the 3-year-old boy inside his Palmetto Ridge apartment.

Titusville police said while the child's mother, 19-year-old Breanna Love, was at a
club in Orlando Saturday night, Carter was left home with her child.

"The boyfriend, Joshua Carter, ended up losing control and struck the
child," said Cpl. Gary Boyer with the Titusville Police Department.

The boy was airlifted to Arnold Palmer Children's Hospital.

The child was hit so hard, he now has broken ribs and bleeding in his abdomen, according to police.

Police said he is in critical condition.

Both Love and Carter told police the boy was vomiting and wouldn't eat or drink all weekend, but they didn't do anything.

When the child became unresponsive around noon Monday, Carter dropped him
off with a relative in a nearby apartment, who then called 911,
according to investigators.

On Monday, detectives at the
Titusville Police Department questioned Love and Cater as to how a
3-year-old boy became so critically injured.

Police said Carter admitted to hitting the child in the back; however, police said the
child has bruises on both his back and stomach.

"If you're losing control, you're getting upset, that's the time to step away, get
someone else to step in and help before something like this happens.
This never needed to happen," said Boyer.

Police said they're waiting for the medical reports to come back to see if there's more to Carter's story.

Love is facing charges child neglect because investigators said she didn't get help for her son.

Carter's being charged with aggravated child abuse, police said.

http://www.wftv.com/news/news/mom-boyfriend-facing-charges-after-3-year-old-suff/nP2kK/