A police officer out of Miccosukee was arrested and is facing child abuse charges in Naples.
The Naples Police Department said it received multiple 911 calls on Saturday reporting that a man struck a child multiple times with a belt near the Naples Pier.
According to the NPD, witnesses attempted to stop him from leaving in his vehicle but were not successful.
Officers encountered the man's vehicle leaving the area and made an investigatory stop in the 800 block of Gulf Shore Boulevard North.
The suspect was identified as Phillip Kennedy, 55, an active police officer with the Miccosukee Police Department.
According to the NPD news release, Kennedy admitted to striking his son with a belt.
Witnesses told police Kennedy struck the victim with a belt and a closed fist multiple times, even after the child fell to the ground in pain.
Kennedy was arrested and taken to the Naples Jail Center. He is facing charges of child abuse without causing great bodily harm.
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