Round Rock Man Accused Of Injuring Daughter

ROUND ROCK, TX – A Round Rock man has been accused of beating his four-year-old daughter to the point that she was bruised and had belt marks all over her body, according to a published report.

Hawley Starnes, 25, was charged with injury to a child, a third-degree felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison, according to an arrest affidavit referenced by the Austin American-Statesman. Starnes told police that he spanked his daughter eight times with a belt because she refused to take a nap while "...giving him attitude and being defiant,” according to the affidavit.

Round Rock police were alerted to the incident just past 2 a.m. on April 18 after the girl was hospitalized at Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas in Austin, according to the report. The girl's grandmother told police about the girl's injuries, which included red belt marks from the back of her shoulders down to her calves.

The man's wife has since started a GoFundMe page to raise money for an attorney, saying her husband has been wrongly accused. At last check, the drive had raised $535 of a $5,000 goal.

"My husband, Hawley Starnes, has been wrongfully accused and charged with a 2nd degree felony," the woman wrote on the page. "We are trying to raise money to afford a lawyer so we can keep our family together. If you know my husband, you know he is a kind, hard-working man who loves his family deeply and would give the shirt off his back to a complete stranger without hesitation.nAny help at all, be it financially, prayers, or sharing this would be greatly appreciated. Please help us keep our family together. Our daughters need their daddy in their life."

>>> Read the full story at Austin American-Statesman

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