Aaron Gibson, 28, of Douglas, has been arrested after he allegedly punched two family members, including his 6-year-old niece, after his aunt denied him $5 to purchase marijuana.
The incident report states that around 7:04 p.m. on February 7, an officer responded to a house on South Pearl Avenue regarding an active domestic dispute. Dispatchers told the officer that a woman inside the home reported that her nephew, Gibson, hit her in the face and the 6-year-old in the head. The woman told 911 that Gibson was upset because she wouldn’t give him $5 to buy some weed. She also stated Gibson left on foot, heading toward Amberwood Apartments. When the officer arrived, he spoke to the child victim, who said her mother had gotten into an argument with her uncle, Gibson, and he hit her in the head. She also stated that he “started hitting her mother very hard” and “explained that it hurt.”
Another officer reported that he spoke to Gibson’s aunt, who said that the dispute began when Gibson asked her for money so he could “buy some weed.” She stated that after she told Gibson that she was not giving him any money, he said that she “better pay up.” According to the report, the victim said once Gibson made the statement, she asked him what he would do if she didn’t give him any money. The report states that Gibson then allegedly threatened the woman. She said she got into her vehicle and tried to close the door but Gibson grabbed the door and slung it open. The report states that Gibson then reached in the vehicle and began hitting the victim. In the process, Gibson tried to move the child out of the way as he continued attempting to hit the woman. In the process, the report says that Gibson hit the child.
Officers arrested Gibson and took him to the Coffee County Jail. While Gibson was speaking to an officer at the jail, he allegedly admitted to taking his aunt’s phone while she was attempting to call 911. He also reportedly said that “cops should have not been called.”
Officers charged Gibson with cruelty to children in the first degree, simple battery, family violence, and obstructing or hindering a person from making an emergency phone call. He received a property bond on February 10 and has been released from the Coffee County Jail.