A 42-year-old man in Florida has been arrested after being accused of abusing his 6-year-old stepson, allegedly beating and kicking the child while also placing a dog collar around his neck and repeatedly yanking it enough to pull the victim off his feet. Zachary Perez was taken into custody on Saturday and charged with one count of aggravated child abuse resulting in great bodily harm, records reviewed by Law&Crime show.

According to court documents obtained by Miami ABC affiliate WPLG, on the evening of Thursday, May 8, 2025, Perez and the child were both in their family home in southwest Miami-Dade County when Perez punched the little boy in the face with a closed fist several times. The punches reportedly caused the child to suffer multiple bruises.

Later that same evening, Perez allegedly grabbed a dog collar and fastened it around the boy’s neck. Holding an attached dog leash, authorities said Perez repeatedly positioned himself behind the victim and forcefully yanked the leash, pulling the boy to the ground.

Additionally, investigators said that Perez kicked the victim in the stomach multiple times and used a piece of a tree branch — sometimes called a “switch” — to strike the boy, Miami NBC affiliate WTVJ reported.

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Perez is alleged to have abused the boy in this manner for two days before deputies with the Miami-Dade County Sheriff’s Office were called to the home on Saturday and took him into custody.

Perez appeared in court on Sunday, where a magistrate judge ordered him to be held without bond. He also formally pleaded not guilty to the child abuse charge and the court appointed a public defender to represent him in the matter.

Court records show that Perez was scheduled to appear in court again on Monday morning. A hearing on his pretrial detention is currently calendared for Thursday.

Perez is currently being held in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center without bond.

Should Perez be released on bond, a judge has already issued an order prohibiting him from having any contact with the child and requiring Perez to stay at least 500 feet away from the boy at all times, Miami CBS affiliate WFOR reported.