Myrtle Beach father arrested for dropping baby on pavement in order to ‘toughen him up’
A Myrtle Beach father was arrested after dropping his child on the pavement in order to “toughen him up,” police said.
Richard Kavin Register, 29, was arrested Aug. 17 after Myrtle Beach Police were called to 6th Avenue North at Chest Street for a report of child abuse.
Register was charged with unlawful conduct toward a child, public intoxication and possession of marijuana. He remains Wednesday in the J. Reuben Long Detention Center on a $50,000 bond.
An officer was flagged down about 2 p.m. by a witness who stated that she saw Register “drop and shake a baby in a stroller” on 6th Avenue North, a report said. The officer located Register and saw him picking the infant up off the ground.
The defendant was hostile, slurring his speech and having difficulty standing still, according to the warrant. Register admitted to police that had been drinking and smoking marijuana. A 40-ounce bottle of malt liquor was located under the child’s stroller, the report said.
The father admitted to dropping the child, telling police that he “plays rough with the victim every day” and “accidentally drops him often in an effort to toughen him up,” the report said.
The child, who was naked and “crying hysterically,” was covered in dirt and sand and had red marks on his back and a cut on his stomach, the report said.
Register is the custodial parent and responsible for care of the victim, an arrest report said.
EMS crews transported the child to Grand Strand Hospital for assessment. South Carolina Department of Social Services was also contacted and took the child into protective custody, the report said.
This story was originally published August 23, 2023 at 1:59 PM.
