A Cole County man is charged with hitting a boy under the age of 10 in the chest with a belt.
Jonathan Richardson, 25, is charged with one count of felony child abuse.
Court documents show the incident occurred in June.
The victim was found wondering a street late at night, unsupervised.
Authorities noticed the boy had a bloody band aid on his left shoulder and what appeared to be a long scrape approximately 10 inches long, that ran across his chest.
The boy said Richardson hit him with a belt.
During an interview with authorities, Richardson said he struck the boy four to five times across his chest and back.