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PD: Mesa man accused of choking 5-year-old son with a clothes hanger

Posted at 11:20 AM, Sep 20, 2017
and last updated 2017-09-21 08:30:19-04

A Mesa man is accused of using a clothes hanger to choke his 5-year-old son.

Mesa police report that on September 12 they were contacted by school officials regarding a 5-year-old boy who came to school with marks on his chest and neck.

A nurse documented "cuts and scratches on the child’s head, chest, and marks on his arms."

The boy reportedly told police that his father, 30-year-old Patrick Lamont Smith, choked him with a white clothes hanger, and cut his arm with a knife.

Police went to the home, near Lindsey and Broadway roads, where the other children in the home allegedly corroborated the victim’s story and told police, "The child was the only one abused that day."

Smith reportedly told police that he has a white clothes hanger that he uses to threaten the children when they misbehave.

He allegedly admitted to grabbing and yelling at the child but denied choking him. Smith reportedly told police that he grabbed the boy by the back of his neck.

Smith has been charged with aggravated assault and child abuse.