Carson City man admits abusing toddler; faces felony child abuse charge

A 23-year-old Carson City man faces a felony child abuse and a gross domestic battery charge after admitting to abusing a 20-month-old toddler.
David Phillip Gawdun, who lives in the 1700 block of Russell Way, is being held on $43,132 bond in the Carson City Jail after he was arrested on Saturday. In an interview, he has admitted to slapping the girl and other instances of child abuse on the toddler and the girl's 3-year-old brother.

The 20-month-old girl was taken to Carson Tahoe Regional Medical Center on Saturday afternoon by the mother and Gawdun. Medical personnel who examined the girl said the injuries to her faces that were not consistent with the story the mother had told them, according to the arrest report.

The toddler had bruising under her left eye, left cheek, above her left eye brow, on her left temple and head and left ear, the report states. The toddler also had a horizontal red mark and bruise on the right side of her head from above her right ear extending to just under her right eye, the report states.

There were also small scabs on the toddler's nose and under her lip, the report states. The toddler had red marks, scratches and minor bruising under her right arm pit, and minor scratches on her torso, back and hips, the report states.

According to a lengthy arrest report written by Carson City Sheriff's Deputy Jason Bueno, the couple originally stated they had been at Mills Park at around 2 p.m. with the toddler and the girl's brother.

Gawdun had said he had been rough housing with the 3-year-old boy and was holding him down while tickling him, and that he had brought his arm back and accidently hit the toddler in the face.

According to the report, the mother advised she had witnessed the incident. She told authorities that she tried to call out to Gawdun to tell him the toddler was behind him and to watch out, but said Gawdun didn't hear her until it was too late and accidently hit her in the face, the report states.

The couple said they went home to put ice on the girl's face and then called and left a message with the toddler's pediatrician. The mother stated that after a few hours she decided to take the toddler to the hospital to be checked out.

Authorities spoke with a doctor at the hospital who expressed concern about the injuries to the toddler's face and advised authorities that the markings were more consistent with an open hand slap or punch, the report states.

Authorities kept the mother in the exam room and took Gawdun to a private room for an interview, which were audio-taped. In an interview with the mother, she told authorities, including officials with the Department of Child and Family Services, that they had a previous case with Child Protective Services when the toddler was hit in the face with a toy motorcycle, allegedly by her brother, the report states. The woman was crying during the interview.

The mother repeatedly said the couple had been at the park when the accident occurred. Authorities advised the woman there may be video footage of the incident with the proximity of public buildings in the area. The woman "became very nervous and sobbed and said she did not want her kids taken away," the report states. She then admitted they were never at Mills Park and she was not present when Gawdun allegedly hit the toddler, according to the report.

The mother advised authorities that she was at work and that Gawdun had called her at around 2 p.m. and told her he was playing with the 3-year-old and accidently hit the 20-month-old in the face. The mother said that Gawdun told her he thought the toddler was sleeping on the couch and was tickling the 3-year-old and raised his hand behind him and hit the 20-month-old girl, according to the report.

The mother, who was "very upset and cried during the interview" said she told Gawdun to put ice on the toddler's face, the report states. She said Gawdun told her that he put a bag of frozen corn on the injuries, the arrest report states.

The mother told authorities that she called her pediatrician but was unable to speak with him and left a message. The mother said she brought the toddler to the emergency room at around 3:45 p.m. to have her checked out. She told authorities that she made up the story about the incident at the park because she thought no one would believe the event had been an accident, the arrest report states. She also said that Gawdun did not hit the toddler on purpose and that it had been an accident.

Authorities then interviewed Gawdun. He said that they had driven to Mills Park at around 2 p.m., and parked near the aquatic center, then went to the kids playground. Gawdun told authorities that he was holding the 3-year-old on the ground tickling him when he raised his hand back and accidently hit the toddler in the face with the back of his left hand, the arrest report states.

He said that the mother had yelled at him but he did not hear her until it was too late. He said the baby cried for a few minutes but seemed OK, the arrest report states. Gawdun said they took the children home and called the toddler's pediatrician, leaving a message. The couple then brought the 20-month-old to the emergency room to be checked out, the report states.

When authorities told Gawdun that they may be able to obtain video footage of the park, "he became nervous" and said he "didn't think there was video where they had been and did not think it would show them at the park," the arrest report states.

Authorities read Gawdun his Miranda rights in front of Department of Child and Family Services personnel. Gawdun said he understood his right and the interview proceeded. The interviewing officer told Gawdun that he knew that they had not been at the park and he had been alone with the children when the 20-month-old was injured and knew that the mother was at work when the incident happened, the arrest report states.

Gawdun said he had been playing with the 3-year-old and had not seen the baby nearby and accidently hit her in the face with the back of his hand, the arrest report states. The arresting deputy told Gawdun that he did not believe the story and urged him to tell the truth. The man advised several more times that it had been an accident and he called the mother at work to let her know what happened.

"I again told David his story did not make sense and there was no way (the toddler) could have sustained the injuries she had by an accidental back hand," Deputy Bueno wrote in the report.

The man became quiet and then told the officer that he had hit the toddler in the face intentionally. He said he was at home alone with the children and that the toddler was pulling items out of the trash and was looking through a plastic bag for a toy that had come with a Happy Meal, the report states.

Gawdun said he told the toddler several times to stay out of the trash but the girl did not listen. He told authorities he "flipped out" and doesn't remember exactly how he hit the baby but he knows he hit her in the left side of the face with an open right hand. He said he hit her hard enough that she fell to the side and hit the right side of her head on the high chair in the kitchen. He said the girl screamed and cried so he sat her on the couch and put a bag of frozen corn on her face and then called the mother and told her it had been an accident, the arrest report states.

Gawdun said he had been raised by an abusive family and he had tried to be a good father to the children but he loses control when he gets angry, the arrest report states. Gawdun said he had spanked the toddler and the 3-year-old before and left bruises. He said he had been approached by the children's daycare provider about the issue when the provider found excessive bruising on the kids. The provider told him he needed to get anger and parenting counseling or else she would report the incident, according to the arrest report.

Gawdun said he tried to go to some classes but stopped going and the issue was never reported. He then agreed to complete a written statement about what happened, the arrest report states.

The arresting officer advised the mother about the confession and she stated that she did not want her kids taken away. She said she thought it was an accident and agreed to complete a written statement.

Both children were photographed with nurses present along with Child Protective Services personnel.

The arresting officer spoke with the examining doctor who advised he did not think x-rays were necessary due to the length of time since the injury had occurred and that the 20-month-old had no symptoms of head injury, the report states.

Gawdun was arrested and taken into custody.