A Scottsdale 10-year-old told police he couldn't say why he no longer had his two front teeth, because his parents told him it was "their little secret."
Well, secret's out folks -- police say those teeth went missing because his step-dad choked him out and dropped him onto a tile floor.
According to court documents obtained by New Times, the boy told a school psychologist yesterday that his step-father -- 25-year-old Sean Donahoe -- had hurt him, at which point police were notified.
The boy told police he couldn't tell them what happened because mom and dad said it was "their little secret," and said that he was supposed to tell everyone that he fell.
According to the court documents, the boy eventually told police that his 2-year-old brother had knocked over a TV at some point over the summer, and Donahoe took it out on him by grabbing him by the throat.
The boy said he started to "pass out," at which point Donahoe let him go -- and the boy slammed his face against the tile floor and blacked out, according to the documents.
The next thing the boy remembered was waking up with a mouth full of blood and broken teeth after his mom picked him up off the floor.
Donahoe apologized and told him it was "their little secret," the boy said.
The boy added that he's scared of Donahoe because he hits him with a wiffle-ball bat and calls him "stupid" all the time.
He said his 4-year-old brother also bites him all the time, because Donahoe encourages him too. Court documents note that the boy -- aside from his missing/broken teeth -- had bite marks on his arms, neck, hand, and back.
The boy told police Donahoe punches all of the kids in the house, which includes a 2-year-old, 3-year-old, and 4-year-old, according to the documents.
Donahoe -- who has a "sustained" child-abuse case against him from 2007 -- told police that his step-son is a "liar," but refused to say anything else to police, the documents state.
After Child Protective Services and police noted the "deplorable" living conditions that the children were in, CPS took custody of the youngsters.
Court documents note Donahoe "has a propensity to [re-offend] against members of his family," which includes child abuse and domestic violence.
Donahoe faces one count of child abuse.
