A Harlingen man is behind bars after he allegedly punched and used a belt to beat his teenage stepson who was being disciplined.
Harlingen police arrested 25-year-old Luis Humberto Medellin on an injury to a child charge over the weekend.
Court records released on Tuesday show that paramedics took a 13-year-old boy to the Valley Baptist Medical Center in Harlingen late Saturday afternoon.
The records show that the boy had been confined to his room as punishment but left to get a glass of water in the kitchen.
The boy's older brother told on him and that's when Medellin confronted the boy and beat him with a black leather belt at least 15 times.
The boy tried to grab the belt to make him stop but Medellin allegedly responded by punching him in the forehead.
Police found and arrested Medellin outside the family's apartment off New Combes Highway.
Officers seized the belt as evidence and notified Child Protective Services about the incident.
The 25-year-old stepfather appeared before a Harlingen municipal judge on Sunday morning where he was issued a $25,000 dollar bond.
Medellin remains in custody at the Cameron County Jail where U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials have filed an immigration detainer against him.
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