A Blaine man is facing felony-level child abuse allegations after police say his son fled their home barefoot and hid inside a Coon Rapids CVS store to escape a beating with a belt.
Child Found Hiding and Injured
According to the criminal complaint filed in Anoka County District Court, officers were called to the CVS around 4 p.m. on October 14, 2025, after store employees reported a frightened boy had run inside and refused to leave.
Police found the child—identified in the filing only by initials—to be shoeless, shaking, and visibly distressed. Officers noted large welts across his back and legs. The boy told police his father, Samuel Oswaldo Guevara Gonzalez, 42, had whipped him “several times” with a belt during an argument at their home on Polk Street NE in Blaine.
He also told officers this was not the first time he and his siblings had been struck with household objects. He said his father typically used a belt and his mother a sandal or plastic hanger but that the blows had never left marks until that day.
Father Admits to Beating
When questioned later by Blaine police, Guevara Gonzalez admitted chasing his son and hitting him repeatedly with a belt, acknowledging that the punishment had “gone too far.” The boy’s mother confirmed to officers that she saw her husband pursuing the child while swinging the belt.
Police recovered the belt from the residence and logged it into evidence.
Charges Filed
Prosecutors charged Guevara Gonzalez with:
- Count 1: Malicious Punishment of a Child – Less Than Substantial Bodily Harm (Gross Misdemeanor)
- Count 2: Domestic Assault – Intentionally Inflict or Attempt to Inflict Bodily Harm (Misdemeanor)
Each gross-misdemeanor charge carries a potential 364 days in jail and up to a $3,000 fine, while the misdemeanor count carries up to 90 days and $1,000.
Judge Karin McCarthy signed an order for detention on October 15, 2025, after finding probable cause. Guevara Gonzalez remains held in the Anoka County Jail pending his first court appearance.
Increasing Scrutiny on Corporal Punishment
The case underscores the line Minnesota law draws between “reasonable discipline” and abuse. Under state statute § 609.377, even a parent or legal guardian may be charged with malicious punishment if physical discipline results in injury or is deemed excessive under the circumstances.
All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. This article is based solely on verified facts from an Anoka County District Court criminal complaint filed October 15, 2025.
