Man arrested for hitting child with whip, exposing himself

WICHITA FALLS, Texas (KAUZ) - The Wichita Falls Police Department arrested a man Monday after he allegedly hit a child with a whip and exposed himself to a different child.

58-year-old Aurelio Saldana was arrested on charges of injury to a child and indecency with a child.

Police responded to the 1800 block of Giddings Street on Jan. 7 around 5:30 p.m. The victim, a 12-year-old boy, told officers Saldana had accused him and others of throwing rocks at his windows.

The victim said Saldana grabbed his arm, hit him in the face and then hit him several times with a whip. Officers could reportedly see the redness of the child’s injuries.

Saldana later allegedly admitted to hitting the victim because “he was being disrespectful.”

Detectives interviewed a witness on Jan. 24 who reportedly said she heard something had happened and saw Saldana hitting the victim with the whip when she arrived. She then took pictures showing Saldana at the scene with a whip, according to police.

In a different incident, an 11-year-old girl called police on Jan. 7 and claimed Saldana had exposed himself to her. The girl was reportedly able to record him in the act.

The victim allegedly claimed Saldana would look in her bedroom window after she showered and send her sexually explicit pictures of himself. According to police, the victim then said Saldana came up to her while she was sleeping and pulled her pants down, but stopped after he saw that she was awake.

Saldana then called for the victim to come to his room. When she did, Saldana allegedly exposed himself to her. The victim was reportedly able to record part of the incident, and the video was recorded on Jan. 5, 2023.

Saldana remains jailed in Wichita County as of Tuesday on bonds totaling $35,000.