Florida man who allegedly beat child said he could ‘take a hit’ like Mike Tyson

PALM BAY, Fla. (TCN) -- A 61-year-old man has been arrested and charged with aggravated child abuse after a child allegedly attempted suicide.

The Space Coast Rocket reports police were called to a home on Jan. 20 for a suicide threat. Responding officers found a juvenile who had reportedly tried to hang himself with a belt but was unsuccessful. He said he could longer tolerate the ongoing mental and physical abuse in his home, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by the outlet.

Following an investigation, Joseph Anthony Mazzella was arrested and charged with one count of aggravated child abuse. The juvenile told investigators he reportedly stole a laptop from school and hid it under his mattress, and Mazzella became angry when he discovered it, the Space Coast Rocket reports. Mazzella allegedly called the child worthless, hit and punched him repeatedly in the head and torso with fists and a broomstick, and threw a clothes rack at him.

Another child in the home told interviewers the victim was locked in his room for months and given a bucket to use as a toilet, the Space Coast Rocket reports. A vice principal from the juveniles’ school corroborated the stories.