Brevard deputy accused of abusing 10-year-old son, causing concussion

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. - A deputy with the Brevard County Sheriff's Office has been relieved of his duties following an arrest relating to child abuse, officials said.

Richard Thompson, 40, was booked into the Volusia County Jail on Saturday on child abuse charges.

The backstory:

Thompson is accused of physically abusing his 10-year-old son during an incident at his South Daytona home that allegedly left the child with a concussion, according to police reports.

Thompson is charged with battery and child abuse with injury after investigators said he grabbed the boy by the shirt, slammed him against a wall and threw him onto a bed, causing the child to strike his head on a cellphone with a hard case.

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South Daytona police said officers, detectives and a Department of Children and Families investigator met with the child’s mother May 8 after she reported the alleged abuse. The mother said the child and his 7-year-old sibling had been staying with Thompson, from whom she is separated, during a custody visit.

According to the report, the boy said the incident began after he entered Thompson’s bedroom to ask for food while Thompson and his girlfriend were inside. The child told investigators Thompson became angry, yelled at him and later grabbed him by the shirt before pinning him against a wall and striking him in the face with an open hand.

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The boy said Thompson then "slammed" him onto a bed, where he hit his head on a cellphone, causing pain to his head and body.

The mother told investigators she noticed a decline in the child’s athletic performance and that he later complained of headaches, dizziness and double vision during sports practice. She took him to a doctor, where he was diagnosed with a concussion, according to medical paperwork included in the report.

Medical records cited in the investigation state the child continued experiencing headaches and lethargy days after the alleged incident.

The investigation remains active.