ODESSA, Texas (KMID/KPEJ)- An Odessa man was arrested Thursday after investigators said he was accused of spanking a toddler “too hard” over the summer. Norberto Adam Paz has been charged with Injury of a Child, a state jail felony. 

According to an Odessa Police Department report, on October 5, officers were dispatched to an apartment home in the 4000 block of Oakwood to investigate a disturbance. At the scene, investigators met with a woman who said she was arguing with Paz after he made a confession about an incident that occurred on July 31. 

The woman told investigators that in July, she arrived home from work and began to care for their child and noticed purple bruises on the one-year-old’s thigh and buttocks when she changed his diaper. The woman said she asked Paz what happened to the boy and got an I “don’t know” in response. However, the woman said Paz “confessed” to causing that injury months later. 

In an interview with investigators, Paz reportedly admitted to “spanking” the toddler three or four for misbehavior and said he felt he’d spanked the boy “too hard” because of the crying that followed. Investigators said the child was wearing a diaper at the time of the incidence and cited that as evidence of “unreasonable” force, since the bruising occurred even with the diaper as padding.

Paz was arrested and taken to the Ector County Law Enforcement Center where he remained as of Friday afternoon on a $6,000 bond.