Dad arrested in belt whipping

A Carson City man was arrested at his son's elementary school on Monday after the 6-year-old boy told a teacher his father whipped him with a belt.

Salvador Barajas-Zamora, 30, a laborer, was arrested at 3:30 p.m. on suspicion of felony child abuse and gross misdemeanor child neglect.

According to the arrest report, a school official called out Child Protective Service, who then called out police to Empire Elementary School at 2:50 p.m.

The boy told the officer that his father "got angry with him and hit him three times with a belt" on Sunday, according to the report.

"I saw three injuries on (the boy's) left arm. One appeared to be a deep-red mark approximately 2 inches wide and 5 inches long on his forearm, consistent with a belt impact," the arresting officer wrote in the report.

The officer noted that the boy said he was unable to sleep because of the injury. "The boy was calm and stated that (Barajas-Zamora) had beaten him and his two younger siblings before with a belt," the deputy wrote.

Barajas-Zamora, who was at the school to pick up his son, allegedly denied striking the child with a belt and said the mark happened when another child hit the boy during a birthday party.

The boy's teacher said the child told her in class that his arm hurt and when she looked at the injury, the boy said that his father "had beat him with a belt the night before," according to the report.

Barajas-Zamora's bail was set at $22,500.

• Contact reporter F.T. Norton at ftnorton@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1213.