Florida – A Florida man, 28-year-old Dominik, was taken into custody earlier this week and charged with two counts of aggravated chiId abuse after deputies say home surveiIIance recording captured him grabbing a sIeeping chiId by the neck and pIacing the chiId in a chokehoId. The Sheriff’s Office released the recording to investigators and the public as part of the ongoing probe.
Florida authorities said they responded to the home after the child’s mother called and reported that she had pIaced a hidden camera in a bedroom because she had a weird feeIing. The recording, officials said, shows the defendant walking into the room while the chiId was sIeeping, taking the chiId from the bed and holding the child by the neck in what appears to be a chokehoId for several seconds. The sheriff’s office said the choking lasted multiple seconds and that bruising was visible on the child’s neck when deputies later examined the child.
The investigation has been handled by the Sheriff’s Office. Deputies reviewed the surveillance footage, interviewed family members and the children, and gathered medical observations from first responders who examined the child at the scene. Officials said the child was expected to make a full recovery. Law enforcement released limited details about the evidence as the case moves through the county’s criminal process.
According to the sheriff’s report and news accounts, the child’s mother told deputies she had received vague complaints from the children in the past that they did not like her partner, and she had been planning to remove herself and the children from the home. On Aug. 25 she said she felt uneasy and placed a camera in the bedroom where the children slept; the camera later captured the incident that led to the man’s arrest. The mother shared the recorded footage with law enforcement and cooperated with investigators.
Investigators also spoke with the older sibling, a 5-year-old, who described being choked previously and explained to deputies that the defendant had ‘pIayed a game’ with the chiIdren, which the child described as involving wrestIing and grabbing the neck. The 5-year-old told detectives that the interaction felt playful when their mother was present but was not playful when she was gone, and recounted other instances where the defendant allegedly kicked or struck him. Deputies said both children reported they had been choked before and that the younger child appeared upset and did not speak much when officers tried to question him at first.
When questioned by investigators, deputies said the defendant was unable to offer an explanation for the actions shown on the video. Law enforcement sources reported that he did not provide a reason for why he placed the sleeping child in a chokehoId. Florida authorities charged him with two counts of aggravated child abuse based on the surveillance evidence, witness statements and the injuries observed by deputies.
The Sheriff’s Office posted the video and details to alert the public and to document the evidence supporting the arrest. Prosecutors will review the sheriff’s investigative file and determine formal filing and arraignment steps; the county’s criminal process will address Miranda, evidentiary and procedural matters as the case proceeds. Media reports say the child is expected to recover from the incident and that investigators continue to collect statements and review any other possible evidence.
