Atwater man accused of hitting children with belt buckle

An Atwater man was arrested over the weekend on suspicion of assaulting two of his children, the Police Department reported.

Josafat Percastra, 29, allegedly struck two of his daughters, ages 2 and 3, with a metal belt buckle at the end of a cloth belt at least twice early Saturday morning at their home in the 2400 block of Palm Avenue in Atwater, Lt. Samuel Joseph said.

Both girls suffered “visible injuries,” including “markings, redness and swelling,” Joseph said.

Police said the children were sick with colds and unable to sleep.

“The girls were coughing and crying, which prevented the father from sleeping. The father became irate, at which time he stood up and grabbed the cloth belt,” Joseph said. “He walked over to the bed where the girls were sleeping and struck both of the girls two times each.”

The mother apparently went to a neighbor’s home for help. Police responded to the scene and arrested Percastra based on the injuries to the two children. He later admitted to striking the girls with the belt buckle, according to police.

The mother was granted custody of the girls, police said.

Percastra was booked at the Merced County jail on suspicion of child endangerment causing possible injury, a felony. He remained in custody Sunday at the John Latorraca Correctional Facility on $100,000 bail, according to booking records.

This story was originally published September 6, 2015 at 3:43 PM with the headline "Atwater man accused of hitting children with belt buckle."