Child held by one leg over Daytona hotel's second floor balcony, dropped head first

A Volusia County man, who dropped a child on his head from the second-floor balcony of the Sandals Inn in Daytona Beach on Saturday, remained in jail Monday without bail.

The child was taken to Halifax Health Medical Center as a trauma alert. The child is not expected to have any long-term medical issues, and was discharged from the hospital Monday, said Daytona Beach police Sgt. Tim Ehrenkaufer.

Brandon Gilmore, 31, was charged with aggravated child abuse.

Daytona Beach police said they were notified of the incident at 7:31 p.m. on Saturday and learned it occurred at the Sandals Inn at 133 S. Ocean Ave.

When they spoke with Gilmore, he told them that he had met the child and his mother around 3 p.m. on Saturday and had only known them for about 5 hours. Gilmore had permission to enter the woman's room and they planned to get a piercing later in the day, according to his arrest report.

While waiting, Gilmore told the woman he was taking the boy outside to play with him and "scare him a little bit," police said.

"Gilbert then went outside of the hotel room and proceeded to hold (the boy) by both of his legs, holding him directly over the second-floor balcony," police wrote in the report.

The age of the child was not released.

A friend staying in the same room told police Gilmore met the child and his mother at the hotel's pool where they had been drinking. The woman then invited Gilmore to the room, police said.

Witnesses reported seeing Gilmore dangle the child by the feet over the balcony and dropping him head first, according to police.

A video surveillance recording showed Gilmore carrying the child in his arms, and then holding him by one leg over the balcony before dropping him, police said.

The Department of Children and Families was notified of the incident, police said.