Man pleads guilty after holding down toddler and striking him; brother videoed the assault

ZANESVILLE − On May 17 Robert L. Durham, II, 29, of Zanesville, pled guilty to felony charges of kidnapping, a first-degree felony; strangulation; and endangering children in Muskingum County Common Pleas Court before Common Pleas Judge Mark C. Fleegle, according to a news release from the Muskingum County Prosecutor’s Office.Durham’s brother, Jonathan Durham, previously pled guilty to child endangering for videotaping the incident and not intervening to stop the assault.The brothers will be sentenced at a later date.

On March 3, Robert Durham became angry at noise made by the victim, a 2½-year-old child, according to the release. Durham responded by holding the child down by the face and throat and slapping him across the face several times. He then straddled the child, pinning the child in place while he threatened additional blows and followed through with full-strength strikes upon the child.

On March 12, a witness reported the incident to Muskingum County Children’s Services and later, Robert Durham’s brother, Jonathan Durham, provided a video he had taken of the assault.

As the video continues, Durham covers the child’s mouth and nose while striking him again with an open palm. Durham can be heard saying “that’s enough, keep whining and I’m going to smack you” and “I don’t want to hear a sound,” according to the release.

Muskingum County Assistant Prosecutor John Litle said Durham’s actions are disturbing and unacceptable.

“The video of an adult man holding down a 2-year-old by the neck and hitting the child in the face is extremely disturbing,” Litle said. “It is conduct which is absolutely unacceptable in this community.”

Litle credits the Zanesville Police Department for its hard work investigating the case.

“Zanesville Police Patrolman Bill Baron exercised exceptional judgment while handling this call resulting, most importantly, in the child’s safety, but also giving us a great case and swift arrests,” Litle said.

This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Zanesville man admits he held down toddler, repeatedly striking him