A St. Paul man is accused of biting a 3-year-old’s face after getting into a fight with the child’s mother, authorities say.
Scottie Dale Heckel, 20, was charged via warrant Wednesday with one count of third-degree assault, according to the criminal complaint filed against him in Ramsey County District Court.
The incident was brought to the attention of police by the young girl’s aunt after her daughter noticed bruises on her cousin’s cheek.
The aunt who reported the injury is the sister of the child’s father, who has full custody of the 3-year-old but sometimes lets her stay with her mother.
The girl was at her mother’s home in the 900 block of Geranium Avenue in St. Paul in June when her mother got into an argument with her boyfriend, the woman told police.
She put her daughter down for the night on a couch and went to bed while her boyfriend reportedly stayed up talking to another woman, authorities say.
When the child’s mother woke the next morning, she discovered bite marks on her daughter’s cheek, the complaint said.
Her daughter told her that her boyfriend bit her during the night.
The woman told officers she confronted Heckel about the assault and kicked him out of the apartment, the complaint said.
She said Heckel called her crying several times after it happened, begging for help and saying he was struggling with mental problems, the complaint said.
Police discovered two sets of teeth marks on the 3-year-old’s cheek along with a bruise. A specialist at the Midwest Children’s Resource Center said the wounds were consistent with adult bite marks, authorities say.
When questioned by police, Heckel denied assaulting the child.
His criminal history includes convictions for domestic assault and fifth-degree assault. He has no felonies on his record.
No attorney is listed for Heckel in court records.