UPDATE::
A man who was arrested and charged with torturing a child in Pensacola died Wednesday.
Andrew Bennett Ross Celaius, 37, was taken out of general population in Escambia County after the child abuse charges were announced May 1 and was placed in protective custody.
He was taken to the hospital later that evening, according to law enforcement. The Sheriff’s Office would not say why he was being rushed to hospital.
Celauis was arrested April 9 after physicians at a local hospital noticed burn marks on a two-year-old girl that lived in the same property as him, according to Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan.
The mother of the child, who was arrested for neglect, believed the marks were ringworm.
She has since bonded out of jail and claims not to know anything about the abuse, according to the Sheriff.
After executing seven warrants at a property in Pensacola, police found surveillance tapes in the house that law enforcement say shows some of the abuse being perpetrated by the suspect.
In one shocking video the child is seen wearing a dog shock collar. Sheriff Morgan said the collar was activated and the girl screamed in pain.
Another video allegedly showed the suspect throwing bottles of water at the child who was sleeping at the time. Law enforcement then say the suspect is seen firing an air soft gun at the child and burning her with an open flame.
Sheriff Morgan described the incidents as “harassment” and “torture.”
“It’s indescribable, the things nightmares are made of,” he added. “No child should ever be subjected to this.”
He also said that there is a belief the girl may have experienced sexual abuse, although he said those accusations had not been confirmed. He said several electronic storage devices had been recovered and investigators were working out how to access the “cloud,” an online storage space that is often connected to computers and smartphones.
A second man was also arrested for allegedly destroying cell phones belonging to Celauis, according to law enforcement at the press conference. Sheriff deputies recorded the suspect asking Eric Everett Furnans, 36, to destroy cell phones belonging to him.
Escambia County Jail logs show that Furnans was charged with various drug offenses, but has not yet been charged with destroying evidence. He was set a $60,000 and remains in prison.
Celauis was granted a combined bond of just over $2.5 million, but was ineligible to meet the bond because of parole violations, according to jail logs. He was acquitted the 2006 in a case that involved the murder of a two-year-old child.
Both men were expected to appear for a court hearing May 23.
A man who was arrested and charged with torturing a child in Pensacola died Wednesday.
Andrew Bennett Ross Celaius, 37, was taken out of general population in Escambia County after the child abuse charges were announced May 1 and was placed in protective custody.
He was taken to the hospital later that evening, according to law enforcement. The Sheriff’s Office would not say why he was being rushed to hospital.
Celauis was arrested April 9 after physicians at a local hospital noticed burn marks on a two-year-old girl that lived in the same property as him, according to Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan.
The mother of the child, who was arrested for neglect, believed the marks were ringworm.
She has since bonded out of jail and claims not to know anything about the abuse, according to the Sheriff.
After executing seven warrants at a property in Pensacola, police found surveillance tapes in the house that law enforcement say shows some of the abuse being perpetrated by the suspect.
In one shocking video the child is seen wearing a dog shock collar. Sheriff Morgan said the collar was activated and the girl screamed in pain.
Another video allegedly showed the suspect throwing bottles of water at the child who was sleeping at the time. Law enforcement then say the suspect is seen firing an air soft gun at the child and burning her with an open flame.
Sheriff Morgan described the incidents as “harassment” and “torture.”
“It’s indescribable, the things nightmares are made of,” he added. “No child should ever be subjected to this.”
He also said that there is a belief the girl may have experienced sexual abuse, although he said those accusations had not been confirmed. He said several electronic storage devices had been recovered and investigators were working out how to access the “cloud,” an online storage space that is often connected to computers and smartphones.
A second man was also arrested for allegedly destroying cell phones belonging to Celauis, according to law enforcement at the press conference. Sheriff deputies recorded the suspect asking Eric Everett Furnans, 36, to destroy cell phones belonging to him.
Escambia County Jail logs show that Furnans was charged with various drug offenses, but has not yet been charged with destroying evidence. He was set a $60,000 and remains in prison.
Celauis was granted a combined bond of just over $2.5 million, but was ineligible to meet the bond because of parole violations, according to jail logs. He was acquitted the 2006 in a case that involved the murder of a two-year-old child.
Both men were expected to appear for a court hearing May 23.
Man accused of torturing child has died
Few details are known about how the suspect died after he was rushed to hospital one week ago.
www.al.com
Last edited: