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Highlands Today

Two More Child Abuse Cases Surface

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By Joe  Seelig | Highlands Today

Published: November 17, 2007

AVON PARK — An Avon Park man was free Friday on $50,000 bail, after he was charged with child abuse in the case of a 3-year-old girl.

Also a Sebring man was freed on his own recognizance Friday in a third child cruelty case involving a teenage victim.

Jeff Roth, director of the Children's Advocacy Center, which provides victim counseling and family referrals, said his agency has definately seen an increase of activity over the last few weeks, but he doesn't know why.

"It has been a busy, busy time down here," he said. "Something's in the water, or a bad phase of the moon - I haven't had time to even think what's going on."

David Robert Metz, 34, of Avon Park, became a suspect in the case when Avon Park police received a report of child abuse on Nov. 13 that was made to the Department of Children and Families regarding a 3-year-old victim who had a large bruise on her face and nose and a scratch under her chin.

At first the child told investigators that she fell off of a slide.

After further questioning, the child said "Dave did it," the report stated.

Police say the child demonstrated how Metz grabbed her face and scratched it and squeezed it with one hand. Her scratch injury was consistent with that type of grasp.

She said while she was lying down, "Dave" hit her nose.

Metz is the boyfriend of the victim's mother, the report stated.

A supervisor at the victim's day care told police that the victim was absent from the day care from Nov. 7 to Nov. 9, and when she returned they noticed the injuries.

When questioned, the mother reportedly told workers she fell accidentally, but the victim told the teacher the injuries were caused by Dave and demonstrated the squeezing motion. The mother reportedly admitted to authorities that the injuries were caused by her boyfriend.

Metz reportedly told police the contusion on the victim's right side of her face was caused when he was disciplining the child by making her "taste" some hot sauce.

The contusion on the victim's nose also was caused when he was disciplining her by making her taste a jalapeno pepper, he reportedly told investigators.

He said he was using the telephone during this time and the victim began to fall and during his attempt to catch her, he accidentally dropped the phone hitting her in the nose, the report stated.

The victim was taken into the custody of the Department of Children and Family Services, the report stated, however her injuries appeared to be superficial.

In the Sebring case, Anthony H. Litchmore, 38, was charged with child abuse infliction of physical or mental cruelty, after the teen-age victim ran away around Feb. 1.

When asked by investigators at the time if he had done anything that may have caused the teen to run away, he responded that while playing around with the victim he accidentally touched the victim in an inappropriate area, but then added the teen also touched him in a corresponding inappropriate area.

A warrant was issued by the state attorney's office and Litchmore was arrested on Nov. 13. He was released on his own recognizance the same day per instructions on the warrant, according to sheriff's central records.

In the case of the death of Alexa Hall, the Hillsborough County Medical Examiner's Office has not completed its autopsy investigation and no new charges have been filed against the mother's former boyfriend, Edgar Otero, 29, of Sebring, who was charged this week with child cruelty aggravated battery in the child's death.

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