Stepfather jailed in abuse of toddler

A Carson City man was jailed Saturday night on suspicion of physically abusing his young stepdaughter.

David Phillip Gawdun, 23, was booked into the Carson City Jail at 9:55 p.m. Saturday on suspicion of felony child abuse with physical injury and misdemeanor domestic battery.

According to the police report, Gawdun and his wife brought her 20-month-old daughter to the emergency room about 6 p.m. Saturday with injuries to her face.

The child had bruising under her left eye, on her left cheek, above her left eyebrow, on her left temple and head and on her left ear, according to the arrest report.

When first questioned, according to the police report, Gawdun and his wife claimed the bruising happened earlier Saturday while the family was at Mills Park. Gawdun said he was tickling his 3-year-old stepson and when he drew his hand back quickly the toddler walked into it.

Upon being separately questioned by a deputy, the mother allegedly admitted she was at work at the time of the incident, according to the report.

When the deputy pressed Gawdun on details, he said they lied about where it happened because he was alone with the children and thought no one would believe him, the report states.

Gawdun then allegedly admitted he had struck the girl out of anger.

"David said he flipped out and doesn't remember exactly how he hit (the baby) but he knows he hit (her) on the left side of the face with an open right hand," the report states.

Gawdun allegedly stated he hit the child hard enough "that she fell to the side and hit the right side of her head on a high chair."

He then picked the girl up, put a frozen bag of corn on her face to reduce the swelling, and called his wife with a story about accidentally hitting her daughter, the report states.

Gawdun further offered to the deputy that on occasion he had spanked the children hard enough to leave bruises and a daycare provider had questioned him about it. When he agreed to get anger management counseling, the provider did not go to police, he allegedly said.

Gawdun then admitted he stopped attending counseling.

"David said he had been raised by an abusive family and he had tried to be a good father to the children, but loses control when he gets angry," according to the arrest report.

On his Myspace page, Gawdun writes lovingly of his stepchildren.

"They're the best thing in my life next to (my wife)," he wrote.

About his stepson, Gawdun said: "Some times we butt heads but, in the end of it all he still knows his dad loves him very much and won't leave no matter what happens. He is the best son that a father could ask for."

Of his stepdaughter he wrote: "(She) is the light that makes me act the best. She ... knows I'll kill to protect her.

"I guess all three know nothing will hurt them because I'm the one who goes home with them."

Gawdun is being held on $43,132.