Gaston Man Arrested After Child, 3, Severely Beaten

Lexington County Sheriff’s deputies arrested a Gaston man accused of punching a 3-year-old boy several times, fracturing his hip and causing the child to have a seizure.

Michael Anthony Still, 53, is charged with inflicting great bodily harm upon a child.

An arrest warrant alleges that Still assaulted the boy by punching him several times in the body while at a Gaston home on Sunday, fracturing his right hip and causing a seizure. The boy also suffered severe bruises and swelling on his face, upper torso and lower torso, according to the sheriff's department.

Deputies went to the Gaston home at about 8:45 p.m. Sunday to investigate a report that the boy had been beaten but the young child had already been taken to Palmetto Health Richland’s Children’s Hospital for medical treatment.                      

At the time of the assault, Still was alone at the home with the boy, according to the sheriff’s department. Still was responsible for the boy’s well-being.

The motive for the incident remains under investigation.

Still faces a maximum of 20 years in prison if convicted. He was being held on Monday at the Lexington County Detention Center awaiting a bond hearing.