Gainesville man arrested for allegedly hitting three-year-old with a stick

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Jermaine Rashard Chism, 31, has been charged with child abuse without great bodily harm after multiple bruises were reportedly found on a three-year-old.

On October 11, Gainesville Police Department received a report that the child had multiple bruises on his arms, hand, torso, and face when he was picked up from daycare. When the adult asked the child how he got the bruises, he reportedly said Chism hit him with a stick.

The child was interviewed at the Child Advocacy Center on October 12, and when asked how he got a U-shaped bruise on his hand, the child reportedly said Chism “did pop me with a big stick” and that the stick was “not little.” The victim also reportedly said that Chism bites him.

Medical staff reported linear bruising in multiple places on the child’s body, including his face, along with the U-shaped bruise and swelling on his hand. The report notes that these injuries were still visible 26 hours after the initial report was made to law enforcement.

Staff at the victim’s daycare reportedly said they had noticed the injuries when the child arrived on the morning of October 11, and the person who reported the injury said the injuries were not there when she dropped him off on October 4; the child was reportedly in Chism’s custody between October 4 and October 11.

In a phone interview, Chism reportedly said the child did not have any bruises or marks when he dropped him off at daycare on October 11 and that his style of discipline includes using a belt or switch. He reportedly said the “switch” is a thin tree limb but said he did not discipline the child during the week of October 4 to October 11. Chism reportedly said he mostly holds the belt or switch to get the child’s attention and rarely strikes the child with it; he said he used a switch as a “scare tactic” on October 8 when the victim refused to clean his room, but he did not strike the victim with the switch.

Chism has nine convictions for traffic offenses, including two felony convictions this year, along with one violent misdemeanor conviction. Judge Susan Miller-Jones set bail at $30,000.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.