Ormond Beach man arrested on child abuse charges after spraying sleeping child with bleach and soaking bedroom in fuel.

Written by Kristen Schmutz

Belden Communications News

Volusia County Sheriff’s Office placed an Ormond Beach man under arrest after spraying a sleeping four-year-old in the face with bleach, soaking a bedroom with tiki torch fuel, and driving drunk with an infant and toddler unsecured in a vehicle.

Mack Arline, 31, was arrested Saturday morning when Sheriff Deputies responded to a call at a home off Avenue E, in Ormond Beach, at the request of the Daytona Beach Police Department.

The mother of the three children involved in the incident had flagged down a Daytona Beach Police Officer showing him video clips of Arline pouring fuel around the home, taking a spray bottle of Clorox, and spraying the sleeping child in the face with it. It was evident in the video clip that Arline was intoxicated and threatened to burn down the house and kill the children.

Arline was in the process of backing out of the driveway with an 11-month-old baby, wearing only a diaper, lying on Arline’s chest between him and the steering wheel, and a 2-year-old unrestrained in the passenger seat when deputies arrived.

According to a release, deputies took the children to safety and detained Arline, who was not coherent and reeked of alcohol. On closer review of the video that prompted the well-being check, deputies watched Arline kick a plastic toy car into the 4-year-old as he slept, then spraying him and telling him to wake up while using profanity and a racial slur. After the toy car hit the child, he pulled a blanket over his head to cover his face. A second video showed Arline emptying the bottle of fuel on the bed, furniture, and carpet of the master bedroom.

Arline was so intoxicated that he had to be picked up and placed in a patrol car by deputies before being transported to the Volusia County Branch Jail. Arline is being held on charges of aggravated child abuse, child abuse, attempted arson, DUI, and driving with a suspended or revoked license. 

A state probation officer, who was in the area doing probation checks at the time, also advised deputies that Arline had violated his probation on a previous charge of false imprisonment and was also on inmate release status for fleeing or attempting to elude law enforcement.

Arline currently remains in custody without bond at the Volusia County Branch Jail.