A 42-year-old man in Florida has been apprehended following accusations of abusing his 6-year-old stepson, reportedly subjecting the child to physical assault by beating and kicking, and using a dog collar to harm him. The suspect, Zachary Perez, was detained on Saturday and faces one count of aggravated child abuse leading to severe injuries, according to records reviewed by Law&Crime.

Court documents obtained by Miami ABC affiliate WPLG reveal that on the night of Thursday, May 8, 2025, Perez was at home with the child in southwest Miami-Dade County when he allegedly punched the boy in the face multiple times with a closed fist, resulting in numerous bruises.

That evening, Perez is said to have taken a dog collar and secured it around the boy’s neck, then used an attached leash to pull the child to the ground by forcefully jerking it from behind.

Additionally, investigators said that Perez kicked the victim in the stomach multiple times and used a piece of a tree branch — sometimes called a “switch” — to strike the boy, Miami NBC affiliate WTVJ reported.

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Perez is alleged to have abused the boy in this manner for two days before deputies with the Miami-Dade County Sheriff’s Office were called to the home on Saturday and took him into custody.

Perez appeared in court on Sunday, where a magistrate judge ordered him to be held without bond. He also formally pleaded not guilty to the child abuse charge and the court appointed a public defender to represent him in the matter.

Court records show that Perez was scheduled to appear in court again on Monday morning. A hearing on his pretrial detention is currently calendared for Thursday.

Perez is currently being held in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center without bond.

Should Perez be released on bond, a judge has already issued an order prohibiting him from having any contact with the child and requiring Perez to stay at least 500 feet away from the boy at all times, Miami CBS affiliate WFOR reported.