A Palm Coast father is in the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility this morning for beating his nine-year-old child after he and his little brother made in-application purchases on their iPad.

Currently on probation for a felony battery arrest involving the childโ€™s mother in 2017, Atkerson would target his son in a February 3 attack at the fatherโ€™s Palm Coast home.

During the attack, Atkerson picked his son up several times throwing him into the walls, closets and other items in the home. His son suffered bruising on multiple parts of his body, including under both eyes. When his mother later picked him up from school, she saw what had happened and photographed the injuries.

While utilizing investigative techniques at the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) Child Protection Team in Daytona Beach, Atkerson stated, โ€œI might have over punished them a little bit.

Atkerson has faced 20 different charges in two different states (California and Florida) dating back to 2004. Six of those were for battery. In 2017, Atkerson was arrested for felony domestic battery when he attacked his wife. In that case, his children witnessed her attack.

โ€œNo child should ever have to endure what this man did to his child. It appears this man has no ability to control his rage,โ€ Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said. โ€œParents have the right to discipline their children but cannot go overboard, which happened in this case. A more appropriate discipline would have been to restrict access to the iPad or make them do chores around the house to pay for the items they ordered, not beat their child. Iโ€™m thankful the mother reported her observations and the work our detectives and DCF have done on this case to protect the children. Child abuse victims often have to live with those scars forever.โ€

Detectives obtained a warrant for Atkerson and he was arrested on felony child abuse charges. Atkerson was booked into the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility and remains in jail on a $12,500 bond.

Atkersonโ€™s previous charges dating back to 2004 include Battery, Simple Battery, Simple Assault, Felony Battery, Battery by a Prisoner, Aggravated Battery with a Deadly Weapon, Possess/Manufacture/Sell Dangerous Weapon, Possession of a Controlled Substance, Receiving Known Stolen Property, Vehicle Theft, Carjacking, Obstruct/Resist Public Officer, Trespassing, Resisting Arrest with Violence, Violation of Probation, and Disorderly Intoxication.

Melissa Morreale, Public Affairs Officer

Organizational Services Division

Flagler County Sheriffโ€™s Office