An Elmont man is accused of punching his 5-year-old daughter in the head several times Wednesday night.
Witnesses say Stanley Frederique, 36, hit his daughter with a closed fist at Elmont Road Park. Police say he also pulled her hair and arm.
According to court documents, Frederique said he wanted to leave the park, but his daughter wanted to stay. In his statement, he admits to pulling his daughter's hair, but not to hitting her.
"I pulled my daughter's hair. I'm from Haiti. That's nothing," the statement reads.
Police arrested Frederique at a restaurant near the park where News 12 is told the child's mother works. He was charged with assault and endangering the welfare of a child.
Frederique pleaded not guilty in Hempstead court and was held on $100,000 bail or bond. His court appointed attorney didn't want to speak to News 12 about the case.
The Elmont man made national headlines two years ago when he was arrested and later convicted of abandoning the same child in a Harlem Subway sandwich shop.