A 31-year-old Florida man was arrested for allegedly dangling a child from a hotel balcony and then dropping the child head-first to the ground below.
The incident, which occurred in Daytona Beach over the weekend, has left the 4-year-old child with severe internal injuries.
According to the arrest affidavit, the incident unfolded on Saturday afternoon when the man, identified as Brandon Gilmore of Eustis, met a woman at the hotel pool.
Several hours later, hotel guests witnessed Gilmore allegedly carrying the woman’s child to the balcony of her hotel room and then proceeding to dangle the child by one leg, with the child’s head positioned towards the ground.
Witnesses reported hearing the child’s screams before Gilmore reportedly dropped the child from the second-floor balcony.
The child was immediately transported to a local hospital as a trauma alert, suffering from blunt force trauma to the head due to the fall.
The affidavit revealed that both Gilmore and the child’s mother were under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident. The Department of Children and Families has been notified, and Gilmore is currently in custody at the Volusia County Jail without bond.
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Police reviewed the surveillance footage from the hotel, which corroborated the witness accounts. The footage showed Gilmore exiting the hotel room while carrying the child in a normal manner, before proceeding to the balcony and dangling the child by one leg, with the child’s head positioned towards the ground, and then dropping the child from the second-floor balcony.
Gilmore is now facing an aggravated child abuse charge for his alleged actions. The severity of the child’s injuries and the nature of the incident suggest that Gilmore could face significant legal consequences, including a lengthy prison sentence if convicted.
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