A Warrenville man is facing charges after he wrapped a belt around a child's neck at least twice, according to the Aiken County Sheriff's Office.
Onofre Lopez, 35, was charged with unlawful neglect of a child. He was placed in the Aiken County detention center but had been released as of Monday afternoon.
A complainant told officers one of the victims "had concerns" about an incident that happened Jan. 27, according to a sheriff's report. The report lists three children, ages 7, 6 and 3, as victims.
One of the children told officers she and Lopez were playing a game Jan. 27, and that he wrapped his belt around her neck, police said. The complainant said the victim became nervous when she asked more questions and said, "It was just a game" and "He was just playing."
The victim's mother told officers that she, the victim and Lopez were eating dinner Jan. 28 in a separate incident, when the victim refused to eat what the mother had cooked, police said. Lopez then became angry, got up, walked behind the victim's chair, took off his belt and wrapped it around her neck.
The victim began crying and told Lopez she couldn't breathe. She grabbed at the belt, trying to get it from around her neck, police said. The mother yelled for Lopez to stop, which he did after about a minute. The victim's face was red and she was coughing.
Lopez told the victim: "If you don't eat next time, I will hurt you worse," the report states. He also told the girl DSS would take her away if she told anyone, and said "everything needs to stay in the house."
Lopez went to watch TV and had no other interactions with the victim, police said.
Teddy Kulmala covers the crime and courts beat for the Aiken Standard and has been with the newspaper since August 2012. He is a native of Williston and majored in communication studies at Clemson University.