Mesa father arrested for allegedly beating, burning, threatening kids
May 4, 2018, 4:02 AM
(Maricopa County Sheriff's Office photo)
(Maricopa County Sheriff's Office photo)
PHOENIX — A Mesa father was arrested earlier this month and now faces more than 20 felony charges for allegedly repeatedly abusing and neglecting his children.
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office said 37-year-old Giammoda Lewis Miller was taken into custody on Wednesday and booked into the 4th Avenue Jail in Phoenix.
Law enforcement officials said Miller was accused of beating his 12- and 14-year-old children with a belt and a wooden paddle, burning them with lighters and incense, threatening them with a butcher knife and a Taser-like device and withholding food from them.
The victims were not identified.
Miller was facing 24 felony charges, including aggravated assault and child abuse, as a result of an investigation that stemmed from April 9, when Arizona Department of Child Safety officials were alerted to the abuse by staff members at one of the victims’ schools.
Detectives said they found “evidence that corroborates the accusations” in the family’s Mesa apartment.
Investigators also said Miller described his actions as “normal progressive discipline” in statements and interviews after his arrest.
His wife, Rafaela, 35, could face similar charges for her part in the abuse, pending the outcome of an ongoing investigation.
The couple also has four other children together. All six have been removed from the home.
“Reporting acts of child abuse is the responsibility of every one of us,” Sheriff Paul Penzone said in a press release.
“The sooner authorities learn about violent and neglectful behavior toward children, the sooner we can guarantee their safety.”
