ROUND ROCK, TX — A former officer with the Temple Police Department has been arrested for injury to a child after he allegedly hit his son in the face inside a Round Rock store.
The department says it discovered that former officer Jerrod McCoy was arrested on Friday, Aug. 7 in Williamson County on charges of injury to a child.
According to the Round Rock Police Department, on June 28 around 11:50 a.m., officers were called to the Bass Pro Shop for reference to a disturbance.
A witness told officers he saw McCoy strike his 4-year-old son in the face with his hand.
Officers made contact with McCoy, who said he was only disciplining his son. He reportedly denied multiple times that he hit his son.
Officers observed a "small, visible abrasion" on the child's left cheekbone less than a quarter inch in size. Officers also observed fresh blood stains on the right side of his face and t-shirt consistent with a nose bleed.
McCoy allegedly told officers the abrasion was from the 4-year-old tossing himself around in the cart and that it is not unusual for him to get nosebleeds.
Officers contacted the witness who said he was inside the Bass Pro Shop where he saw McCoy and his son. The witness saw McCoy allegedly spank the child and the boy continued to yell and scream loudly, which drew the attention of multiple people inside the store.
The witness told officers McCoy was yelling at the child as they exited the store when he allegedly hit his son in the face two times.
On July 15, officers went to the Bass Pro Shop after determining there was video of the incident. The video allegedly showed two physical interactions between McCoy and the child.
The first interaction is partly obscured by a merchandise sign. Officers say it appears to be McCoy spanking his son. The second interaction caught on video is McCoy allegedly striking his 4-year-old in the face, causing him to fall backwards in the shopping cart.
Officers interviewed the store manager who said he saw McCoy hit the child in the face with a backhand causing him to "reel" backwards.
McCoy resigned from his position with Temple PD on Tuesday, Aug. 4, and is no longer a City of Temple employee. The department says he was not an employee at the time of his arrest.
He was released from jail on August 7 after posting a $30,000 bond.
McCoy had been with the department since 2015.
The former officer was also a school resource officer for Temple ISD. He rotated between four campuses in the district- Western Hills, Kennedy-Powell, Jefferson and Hector P. Garcia Elementary Schools.
“I was informed this morning that he resigned from Temple PD, and he will, of course, no longer be a part of Temple ISD.” said Bobby Ott, superintendent of Temple ISD. “This person won’t be around our students.”
The criminal investigation was conducted by the Round Rock Police Department.
Temple PD says it was not involved in the investigation and does not have information to provide about the case.
