New information has emerged in the disturbing case of a 42-year-old man in Florida accused of abusing his 6-year-old stepson by allegedly beating, kicking, and whipping the child with a switch while also placing a dog collar around his neck and repeatedly yanking it hard enough to pull the victim off his feet, among other forms of criminal mistreatment.
The defendant, Zachary Perez, is currently charged with one count of aggravated child abuse causing great bodily harm.
Perez appeared in a Miami-Dade courtroom on Tuesday, where prosecutors from the state attorney’s office asked Eleventh Judicial Circuit Judge Richard Hersch to keep him in detention pending trial, referring to him as “a ticking time bomb,” according to Miami ABC affiliate WPLG.
Additional allegations against Perez were made public during the hearing by law enforcement officials who testified about what they saw on surveillance footage from inside the family’s home and the condition of the alleged victim when the officers arrived.
In addition to the alleged beatings and use of a dog collar, deputies claim Perez forced the 6-year-old to run while wearing a backpack full of rocks.
“The defendant had beat, punched him in the face multiple times, and tied a dog leash around his neck,” a Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office deputy reportedly stated. “He had swollen eyes from being hit and numerous marks from the tree branch. He had a few scrapes and bruises. He had a rash on his neck due to the collar.”
The deputy also described text messages that Perez allegedly sent to the victim’s mother after she reported his alleged abusive behavior to authorities.
“He said, ‘Get home,'” the deputy stated. “He was going to make sure she paid. He said, ‘You’ll remember Mother’s Day.
Assistant State Attorney Wily Wisset told the court that since Perez’s arrest, her office had received numerous calls from women who had previously been in relationships with him and claimed to have witnessed or experienced similar abuse at his hands, making them fearful of him, according to Miami NBC affiliate WTVJ.
“He freaks out. He threatens to kill them. He threatens to kill his ex-wife, his children, and everyone. “And he threatens them with a gun,” prosecutors alleged.
Perez’s mother reportedly testified on her son’s behalf, claiming that his time serving with the Marine Corps in Iraq caused him to suffer from a traumatic brain injury and PTSD.
She requested that he be placed under house arrest so that he could receive mental health treatment, but Hersch ultimately declined. He granted the prosecution’s request to keep Perez in pretrial detention while also allowing the defense to present the results of a mental health evaluation in the future.
According to Law&Crime, on the evening of Thursday, May 8, 2025, Perez and the child were in their family home in southwest Miami-Dade County when Perez punched the child in the face several times with a closed fist. The punches reportedly left the child with multiple bruises.
Later that evening, Perez allegedly grabbed a dog collar and fastened it around the boy’s neck. Authorities said Perez repeatedly positioned himself behind the victim and yanked the leash, pulling the boy to the ground.
Investigators also stated that Perez kicked the victim in the stomach several times and struck the boy with a piece of a tree branch, known as a “switch,” according to Miami NBC affiliate WTVJ.
Perez is accused of abusing the boy in this manner for two days before authorities were called to the home on Saturday, May 10.
Perez remains in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center without bond.
