Augusta man arrested for hitting son in the face

An Augusta man was arrested Tuesday after hitting his son in the face.

Levi Fulmer, 29, was charged with one count of cruelty to children in the first degree. According to the Richmond County Sheriff's Office incident report, deputies responded to the 2000 block of Jolles Avenue after the boy's mother called saying Fulmer had hit the boy in the head for being bad.

The mother told deputies her son returned home Monday after spending a week with his grandparents and she discovered a large bruise on the right side of his face and several smaller bruises on the left side, according to the incident report.  The mother said she had received a call from one of the grandparents Sunday about the boy visiting his father.

According to the report, the mother told deputies Fulmer had been aggressive towards her and her son in the past but gave the boy permission because she thought Fulmer had changed. The boy's grandfather told deputies he saw Fulmer strike the boy on the right side of the face with a closed fist. 

The grandfather told deputies he told Fulmer it was not a good idea for the boy to leave the residence since he had marks on his face. According to the report, the Division of Family and Children Services was contacted, but a caseworker was not sent out since the boy was safe with his mother. A report was going to be placed on file. 

Gold Cross was contacted and evaluated the boy. According to the report, several other marks were found on the boy's body, including a small amount of swelling on his left face near his hairline, a slightly swollen upper lip and a scratch mark on his arm.

Fulmer told deputies he hit the boy on the bottom and not in the face. He was taken into custody at his residence and is being held at the Charles B. Webster Detention Center. 

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