PONTIAC, Mich. — A Flint man has been charged with child abuse after a Tik Tok of him hitting a child was sent to police.
The Oakland County Sheriff's Office was sent the video on Friday, Oct. 14. They say that video shows a man yelling at a child under the age of 5 for kicking dirt while standing in line at a food truck in the City of Pontiac.
According to police, seconds later in the video, the man is seen dragging the child by the arm through the parking lot before he "aggressively strikes the child in the face".
Investigators used social media to identify the man as John Wesley Hanley III, a 25-year-old Flint man who was taken into custody earlier this week.
Henley has been charged with one count of 4th-degree child abuse and was arraigned today at the 50th district court in Pontiac, with a personal bond set at $20,000.
“The actions depicted in this video are abhorrent” Sheriff Michael Bouchard said in regards to this case. “Seeing a grown man, strike a toddler in the face, decking him to the ground is extremely disturbing. Violence of this nature, especially when it involves children, will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. I am proud of the investigative team for their diligence in bringing swift justice in this case”.
Sheriff Bouchard also thanked the person(s) who brought the Tik Tok to their attention, as the Sheriff's Office encourages others to do the same if they see videos of criminal acts on any social media platform.
