A 26-year-old Augusta man is facing a felony charge of cruelty to children in the first degree after allegedly inflicting severe physical abuse on his 5-year-old son.
According to warrants issued Wednesday, Markembe Holt was arrested after an incident that occurred around 8 p.m. Tuesday at a residence on Autumn Gold Court. Investigators allege Holt maliciously and excessively struck the child, leaving visible bruises on the boy’s face, arms, neck, and back.
Authorities said the child’s mother contacted law enforcement after picking up her son from Holt. She immediately noticed bruising on the child and questioned him. The 5-year-old reportedly said, “Dad hit me,” while pointing to the injuries.
Holt, who is the child’s biological father, is currently being held on charges of first-degree cruelty to children, a felony that carries severe penalties in Georgia due to the nature and extent of harm inflicted.
Holt’s latest arrest comes just 10 days after he was booked on Aug. 4 for driving under the influence and an outstanding magistrate court warrant.
He also has a criminal history that includes a 2017 misdemeanor theft charge and a more serious arrest in 2016 when he was a teenager. In that 2016 case, deputies caught him trespassing inside a vacant apartment at Woodlake Apartments. During the arrest, deputies recovered over 10 ounces of marijuana and a loaded sawed-off shotgun hidden beneath a bathroom sink.
While the shotgun charge was eventually dismissed, the burglary charge was reduced to criminal trespass, for which Holt received six months of probation from Judge Michael Annis.
Holt remains in custody at the Charles B. Webster Detention Center as the investigation continues. Child protective services have reportedly been notified, and the 5-year-old is now with his mother.
