An 18-month-old boy is recovering at Plantation General Hospital after police say his mother admitted to harming him.
25-year-old Naomie Paul is accused of intentionally causing harm to her young son. She went before a judge in Fort Lauderdale Friday
"Ma’am, you’re charged with aggravated child abuse," Broward County Judge John Hurley told Paul as she stood in shackles in bond court.
The Sunrise mother of two is accused of severely beating her 18-month old son - spanking his bare butt several times when he wouldn’t sit still during an ear cleaning.
"It says she admitted to verbally stating that she popped her child numerous times on the buttocks," Judge Hurley read in court.
According to investigators, several doctors reviewed the boy’s injuries and determined they were caused by “intentional inflicted harm.”
Family members told NBC 6 the boy is covered in wounds, including scratches, bruises and a possible burn. Paul's attorney disputes those charges.
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"There’s no factual basis for what the injuries are there. There’s no allegations of bruising, bleeding or any other factual basis to reach the conclusion that this is aggravated child abuse," the attorney said.
Following her bond hearing, Paul wiped tears away during a custody hearing. The boy’s father La-Darris Smart petitioned for his two children to be placed with their grandmother. The family court judge ordered counseling, developmental assessments and supervised visitation for the toddler and his 4-year old sister. DCF expects to place both children with Smart's mother pending a home study.
There’s no word on when the little boy is expected to be released from the hospital. The judge set Paul’s bail at $1,500 and ordered her to have no contact with her son.
