Nebraska man arrested after beating 10-year-old with belt, sheriff’s office says

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – A northeast Nebraska man is accused of beating a child with a belt, the Stanton County Sheriff’s Office said Saturday.

Deputies arrested 34-year-old Raymond Villa after an investigation into the reported assault at his home in Stanton.

The sheriff’s office said Villa hit a 10-year-old child “multiple times” with a belt, leaving “obvious marks and bruises.”

The child is not related to Villa but was staying at the home with his father.

Investigators also think Villa hit his 13-year-old son with the same belt.

Villa was arrested on suspicion of felony child abuse.  The 10-year-old child was placed in the care of their mother, the sheriff’s office said.

The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services helped in the investigation.