A north Phoenix man has been arrested for allegedly striking a teenage girl with a metal rod and wooden broomsticks.
Phoenix police say that on May 29 they responded to a home near 25th Avenue and the Carefree Highway where they found a teenage girl with facial swelling and injuries to her arms, legs, and buttocks.
The girl told police the incident started over a missing phone that belonged to a friend.
Police say 60-year-old Gregory Braylock, who also lives in the home, questioned the victim about the phone and then used a broomstick to hit her on the back and shoulder blades. She told police that he broke off the top of another broomstick and continued to hit her. Police say the attack continued with Braylock punching and choking the teen. He also allegedly used a metal rod to push her face into the floor and hit her arms.
The teen then got Braylock out of the house by telling him the phone was at a neighbor's home. When he went to the neighbor's house, she then used the phone to contact police.
While talking with police, Braylock accused the teen of being a "pathological liar," but also allegedly admitted to hitting her with the broomsticks causing one of them to break. He said he hit her in an attempt to get the phone back.
Police located the broken broomstick and the phone.
Braylock was arrested for child abuse as police continue their investigation.
