Mother says man body-slammed, punched and kicked her 5-year-old son during crawfish boil in League City

A 5-year-old boy’s mother is speaking out after she said her son was body-slammed, kicked and punched by a grown man.

The mother said she is now hoping that a citation the League City Police Department gave the suspect leads to serious consequences.

“If he did it to a child, ain’t no telling what will happen next time,” said the mother, Kelsey Holt.

On Sunday, Feb. 26, Holt said she and several others were having fun and enjoying a crawfish boil at a friend’s house in League City when her son Hayden came running inside crying.

“Slammed me on the ground… then he kicked me and punched me,” Hayden said.

Holt said Hayden was left with bruises and mental trauma caused by her friend’s neighbor who is in his 60s and was also attending the gathering.

“I’m not even sure why he was out there bothering the kids because none of the other adults were,” she says.

Holt said the man, who seemed intoxicated, told her Hayden hit him in the head with a basketball and that he had no shame in retaliating.

“(He said) And that if another child was out there that did something similar to what my child, according to him did, then he would do it to them as well,” she said.

League City police issued the man a citation for assault but aren’t identifying him until he’s arrested. They also added that they’re working with the Child Advocacy Center in Galveston to conduct interviews and determine whether charges will be upgraded.

“I just want justice for my son. I want him to be responsible for what he did and make sure that it doesn’t happen to any other children,” Holt said.

Investigators wouldn’t confirm a court date for the man but said pending the outcome of the investigation the charge could be upgraded to “injury to a child,” which is a felony. A decision on that is expected by Thursday, March 16.


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