Lake County man charged with torturing infant

LAKE COUNTY, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - A Tavares man, who works as a field appraiser for the Lake County property appraiser’s office, has been charged with two counts of aggravated child abuse after police say he admitted to torturing and abusing a 2-month old infant girl.

Robert Andrew Young, 23, was arrested early Tuesday morning after he told police he abused the infant. According to a Lake County Sheriff's Office report, the baby was taken to Leesburg Regional Medical Center by her mother who told medical staff that the baby was continuously crying. X-rays taken at the hospital showed that baby had multiple rib fractures that were in various stages of healing. Young told the hospital staff that he had caused the injuries.

Deputies from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office then spoke to Young who told them that he had squeezed the baby girl’s chest with both his hands wrapped around her chest two to three times a week for approximately one month. Investigators say Young also told them he bent the infant’s fingers backwards as well as bending her wrist downward until she cried. Young says he also would pinch or squeeze the infant’s toes, fingers, or knees to make her cry. Young told deputies that he did these things to the infant because she would not sleep and noticed that when he did it she would go to sleep.

"This one's very shocking… I have to admit its very shocking and you know… no matter how many of these types of cases… child abuse cases that we see… we never get used to them," said Lt. John Herrell/Lake Co. Sheriff's Office.

Young also told investigators that he would push his hand down on her stomach so she would have a bowel movement.

He went on to tell detectives that he knew he was hurting the baby and need to stop but was afraid to tell because doing so would make him out to be a “monster” who could hurt a child.