The District Attorney’s Office in Bell County has taken action to revoke a man’s probation related to a felony assault case following his recent arrest on a child abuse charge, for which he was indicted this week.
A Bell County grand jury indicted 29-year-old Romello Jamaal Daniels, also known as Romelle Daniels, on Wednesday for a third-degree felony related to causing intentional bodily harm to a child. Daniels was taken into custody at the Bell County Jail on August 15, two months following the reported event.
The motion to revoke probation did not specify a bond, while the bond for the new charge stands at $115,000, according to jail records.
On June 17, a woman approached the Killeen Police Department to report that her 4-year-old child returned home with several significant bruises after being looked after by Daniels, a relative of the child.
According to an arrest affidavit, the mother of the accuser stated that on June 9, Daniels collected the child as per their agreed visitation arrangement.On June 16, she stated that she received a call from Daniels informing her that the child would have some bruises as a result of a spanking.
Upon observing the child’s legs, she realized they were marked with large bruises. The child informed her mother that Daniels was striking her forcefully with a belt for not paying attention.
The woman informed authorities that Daniels resided at either his girlfriend’s or his mother’s homes, both situated in Killeen.
“On June 25, a detective observed a forensic interview of a child at the Child Advocacy Center in Belton, where the child made a credible outcry of physical abuse and identified an individual as the person who inflicted harm on her legs with a belt during a visit at her grandmother’s house,” according to the affidavit.
Medical professionals at a children’s hospital in Temple also examined the child, and photos of the injuries were taken, according to police.
“…A diagram illustrated significant bruising, including some loop-patterned and linear abrasions on different areas of (the child’s) body, primarily on her buttocks and along her legs,” as stated in the affidavit.
On July 26, 2023, Daniels received a sentence of 10 years of deferred adjudication probation for assaulting and threatening to kill a woman in Harker Heights in 2022. On September 9, the state submitted a motion to revoke probation after his arrest related to the child abuse allegation.