Army sergeant caught on camera abusing a young child in Waco

The plot thickens with the Texas man who was caught on a Ring camera beating a 3-year-old boy.

As a parent, the video is incredibly hard to watch. A man in Waco, Texas, aggressively hit a 3-year-old boy over and over again without realizing a Ring door camera was recording the entire thing. A little smack on the butt is one thing, but violently beating a child outrageously smaller than you is a whole other thing.

The video shows 29-year-old Paul Thames near a staircase at Legend Apartments in Waco, Texas. Thames aggressively picks up a 3-year-old boy and begins punching the child at least 5 times in the torso, while the boy screams.

As the boy continues to cry, Thames grabs him by the face, pulls him up, and intimidatingly asks, “Are you going to stop playing?” The two then leave the area.

Police are sent the disturbing video.

After discovering the footage, the recording was sent to the police, and an investigation began. Police officers went to the apartment complex to investigate. The young boy was located and taken to the hospital to be medically checked out.

However, the plot thickens. 29-year-old Paul Thames wasn’t just a violent suspect, he was the exact person you’d never expect: an Army sergeant stationed in Fort Hood. A person who is patriotic and dedicated to serving their country is the exact person caught on camera beating a very young child.

“We are aware of the arrest of Sgt. Paul Thames for abuse of a child. The 1st Cavalry Division is in communication with law enforcement. We are disgusted by the video that has been posted,” KWTX Bell County Bureau Chief Adam Schindler, a spokesperson with the 1st Cavalry Division, said.

Thames surrendered himself to the authorities and was charged with injury to a child. He had a bond set at $200,000, but is currently being held on a federal detainer.

Hopefully, this will help people realize that there is a very serious difference between disciplining and beating a helpless child.

Warning: Video is extremely graphic, please view at your own discretion.