A 44-year-old Kendall West man is facing a child abuse charge after deputies say he beat his 5-year-old daughter with a plastic bathroom squeegee, leaving bruises that lasted more than three days. Yoanny Herrera Nieblas was identified by the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office as the suspect in the Sept. 8 incident at his home in the 14900 block of Southwest 53rd Lane.
According to the arrest report summarized by WPLG Local 10, the trouble began after Nieblas's daughter's school notified him that she had stuck her middle finger up at her teacher. The girl admitted to doing it, and Nieblas confronted her about the behavior, the report states.
Nieblas reportedly entered the bathroom while his daughter was taking a shower and asked her about the school incident during bath time. He told investigators he had tried verbally disciplining her multiple times over her ongoing behavioral issues in school before that night, per the same report.
Discipline Escalates to Squeegee, Deputies Say
According to deputies, Nieblas escalated the discipline that night, striking his daughter multiple times on the buttocks with a plastic bathroom squeegee. The arrest report states the girl sustained visible bruising to her buttocks that lasted more than three days.
Nieblas was arrested Sept. 15 and was advised of his Miranda rights, the report notes. He is now facing one count of child abuse with no great bodily harm. As of Sept. 17, Nieblas was no longer listed as an inmate on the Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation website, and bond information for him was unavailable.
How Florida Law Treats Cases Like This
Under Florida law, a caregiver is defined as a parent, adult household member or another person responsible for a child's welfare, and a child is anyone under 18, according to Florida Statutes. The law defines child abuse as the intentional infliction of physical or mental injury upon a child, or an intentional act that could reasonably be expected to result in such injury.
Knowingly or willfully abusing a child without causing great bodily harm, permanent disability or permanent disfigurement is classified as a third-degree felony under the statute. Florida law reserves the more serious charge of aggravated child abuse for cases involving aggravated battery, willful torture, malicious punishment, or abuse that causes great bodily harm, permanent disability or permanent disfigurement.
A Familiar Pattern in Florida Discipline Cases
Cases involving parents accused of injuring children during physical discipline have surfaced elsewhere in Florida before. In 2016, a Bradenton couple, Pauline Lee and Jeremy Perry, were arrested on third-degree felony child abuse charges after police said they hit their young daughter with a belt at least 20 times, according to FOX 13 News. That case began after administrators at the girl's elementary school noticed several bruises and contacted Child Protective Services; both parents were held without bond at the Manatee County Jail after admitting to hitting the girl, per that report.
