A Roma man is charged with hitting a child in the face again and again. A Starr County deputy wrote that the child's face was swollen, bruised and bleeding.

The man is Jose Santos Garcia Jr. He is charged with injury to a child. The complaint lists it as a third-degree felony. That can mean 2 to 10 years in prison.

The deputy also wrote that Garcia admitted it on tape. That is the deputy's side. It has not been tested in court.

The sworn complaint was signed by Deputy Oscar Munoz Jr. of the Starr County Sheriff's Office.

It happened on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026. Munoz was sent to an address in Roma. The call was about a disturbance.

When he got there, he talked to the child. The complaint says the child is 14 or younger.

The child told the deputy that the two had been arguing. Then, the child said, Garcia got physical.

The complaint says Garcia hit the child many times in the face. It says he used an open hand and a closed fist.

Munoz listed these injuries in the complaint:

Swelling on both eyebrows.

Redness and bruising on the right cheek.

A cut on the right side of the lower lip. The deputy wrote that it made the child bleed.

The child also said there was pain all over the head. Starr County EMS gave the child medical aid, the complaint says. The papers do not say if the child went to a hospital.

Next, Munoz turned to Garcia.

He put handcuffs on Garcia and walked him to a patrol car. The deputy wrote that he read Garcia his rights in English. These are the Miranda rights, like the right to stay quiet. Munoz wrote that Garcia said he understood them.

The interview was recorded on video and audio. Munoz wrote that during that interview, Garcia "stated that he had assaulted" the child.

The deputy then told Garcia he was under arrest. Garcia was taken to the Starr County Adult Detention Center.

The charge is injury to a child with intent to cause bodily injury. Bodily injury means pain or harm to the body.

The complaint says Garcia did it "intentionally and knowingly." That means on purpose. The state would have to prove that in court.

A statement in a recorded interview is not the same as a guilty plea. A defense lawyer can fight how an interview was done. A judge decides what a jury gets to see.

The papers do not say what the argument was about.

The papers also do not list a bond or a court date. They do not say if Garcia is still in jail.

El Tejano is not naming the child, to protect the child's privacy.

Everyone is presumed innocent until proved otherwise.