Texas man accused of beating 2 boys with hammer, metal pole

Credit: Bexar County Sheriff's Office

Credit: Bexar County Sheriff's Office

A Texas man is accused of beating two boys with a hammer, a metal pole, charging cables and extension cords, KSAT reported.

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Anthony Xavier Ponce, 33, of San Antonio, was arrested Thursday, the television station reported. Ponce is facing first- and third-degree felony charges, according to Bexar County court records. Ponce is charged with two counts of injury to a child, one of which is called a serious bodily injury. He is being held in lieu of $70,000 bail, the San Antonio Express-News reported.

According to court documents, the mother of the children, ages 9 and 12, initially noticed scratches and a bruise on the youngest boy's face in February. The boy told his mother that he was injured at school. When the woman contacted the school, officials claimed they had no knowledge of an incident, WOAI reported.

A Child Protective Services investigator later interviewed the boys, who denied any abuse, KSAT reported. The boys then privately told their mother that Ponce had been abusing them for several years, according to court records.

The children said they allowed Ponce to “coach” them about what to tell the CPS investigator, the television station reported, citing an arrest affidavit.

Both boys told officials Ponce hit them on the head with a hammer, beat them with extension and charging cables and punched them in the stomach, WOAI reported.

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