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PALM BAY, Fla. – A 61-year-old Palm Bay man was arrested this week after police say their response to a reported suicide threat led to allegations that a juvenile was repeatedly beaten and locked inside a bedroom for extended periods with only a bucket to use as a toilet.
Joseph Anthony Mazzella was taken into custody and booked on one count of aggravated child abuse with a domestic violence designation, according to a probable cause affidavit filed by the Palm Bay Police Department.
Police say an officer was dispatched Tuesday to a home on Emerson Drive for a suicide threat call. A juvenile told the officer they attempted to hang themself the night before using a belt but were unsuccessful. The juvenile told police they could no longer tolerate what they described as ongoing mental and physical abuse by Mazzella and another adult in the home, the report states.
According to the affidavit, the juvenile said the most recent incident began after adults discovered the child had allegedly stolen a laptop from school and hidden it for months. The juvenile told police they were called “worthless,” and that Mazzella threw a clothes rack at them and repeatedly punched them in the head and torso. The juvenile also reported prior incidents of being punched, mostly in the head, and being struck with other objects, according to the affidavit.
The officer reported observing slight redness on the juvenile’s chest.
A second juvenile told police they did not witness a physical altercation during the most recent argument, but described a pattern of being hit with objects or having objects thrown at them as punishment, the affidavit states. The second juvenile also reported an incident in which a plastic jar was thrown at their hand and the officer noted a faint red mark consistent with that account.
The second juvenile further told police the first juvenile had been locked inside a bedroom as punishment and given a bucket to urinate and defecate in. The second juvenile said the confinement lasted for months over the summer, according to the report.
A school vice principal, identified in the affidavit as John Ottinger, told police he was present during interviews and that neither child changed their account of what happened during the process.
Mazzella was interviewed by police and denied believing the juvenile had suicidal thoughts, but admitted striking the child, according to the affidavit. Investigators say Mazzella told them he became angry after the laptop was discovered under a mattress and said the child’s late-night use of the device could explain ongoing complaints of fatigue and headaches that had prompted medical appointments.
The affidavit states Mazzella admitted punching the juvenile in the head with a closed fist and demonstrated how he struck the child. Police say he also admitted this was not the first time he punched the juvenile with a closed fist, and acknowledged slapping the child in the face with an open hand. He also admitted throwing the clothes rack but claimed he did not know whether it struck the juvenile, the report states.
Police say Mazzella also acknowledged locking the juvenile in the bedroom with a lock on the door. According to the affidavit, Mazzella told officers the child was sometimes allowed out to use the bathroom if the child knocked to be let out, and occasionally allowed to come out for dinner, but was otherwise locked in the room for extended periods, up to a week at a time. The affidavit states Mazzella told police the child was provided a bucket to urinate in while locked inside.
During the interview, the report states Mazzella compared the child’s reaction to being hit to “Mike Tyson,” telling police the juvenile could “take a hit to the jaw” with little reaction.
Police concluded there was probable cause to believe the child was willfully and maliciously punished and unlawfully confined without adequate access to necessary facilities, the affidavit states. Officers noted their encounters were recorded on body-worn camera.
Mazzella is scheduled for a mandatory court appearance at the Viera courthouse, according to court paperwork. As in all cases, the charge is an allegation and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
