A father allegedly beat up a man he accused of molesting his two children Sunday in Spotsylvania County, Virginia.
Sixty-year-old suspect Mark Anthony Stanley was visiting the family’s home for the holidays when the incident occurred, according to the Free-Lance Star.
When the father woke up around 6:30 a.m. that morning, he went to check on his children who are two and three-years-old.
He told authorities that when he walked into the room, Stanley was nude from the waist down and was molesting the children.
Once the father questioned Stanley as to what he was doing, the suspect reportedly shoved him out the bedroom door and locked it, according to WJBF.
However, the sheriff’s office said the father forced the door open and began beating Stanley. When a dispatcher received a 911 phone call from an unknown person, they said screaming could be heard in the background.
Once deputies made it to the scene, they found Stanley badly beaten and the angry father approaching him with a gun. The deputies then ordered him to drop his weapon and he complied.
The left side of the suspect’s face was extremely bruised with an apparent cut above his eye that was swollen shut, according to the mugshot taken at the Rappahannock Regional Jail.
“It was an absolutely horrible incident,” said Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Capt. Elizabeth Scott.
“Stanley, a 60-year-old from North Carolina, faces two counts of taking indecent liberties with a child and domestic assault. Additional charges could be brought against Stanley,” WJBF reported.
Following the incident, the two children were taken to a local hospital for evaluation. No charges were brought against the father.
The suspect was treated for his injuries and is currently being held without bond at the jail. He may face additional charges as the investigation continues, according to the sheriff’s office.