A Pensacola man was found guilty of abusing five of his seven children by beating them with belts and power cords and punching them in the face, the Florida Office of the State Attorney announced Wednesday.

Eric Shaquille Suggs, 28, last week was sentenced to a total of 23 years in state prison after being found guilty of one count of aggravated child abuse and four counts of child abuse.

The Office of the State Attorney said all five of the children had injuries from abuse, with the 13-month-old having the “most extensive” injuries.

“According to the other children, the 13-month-old was maliciously punished by being beat with belts and charging cords to make the child walk,” a release from the OSA said.

The Escambia County (Fla.) Sheriff’s Office responded to the Gulf Coast Kids House in November 2022 after a report of seven children being abused, ranging in ages from 13 months to 11 years. Investigators found five of the children had signs of abuse.

Forensic interviews with four of the five children, along with information from the OSA, revealed the disturbing details:

• Multiple children told investigators that Suggs would beat the 13-month old with a white phone charger cord.
• The 6-year-old said Suggs whipped him with a brown belt and white phone charging cord.
• The 8-year-old said Suggs had punched him in the shoulder with a ring on his hand and would also whip him with a belt and charging cords. The child also said Suggs once held him upside down by his legs and told him to stop crying. When the child didn’t stop, Suggs dropped him on his head. The boy also said Suggs repeatedly hit him in the face. He also said Suggs burned him twice as punishment.
• The 8-year-old also said Suggs had once told him “I’m gonna kill you before anyone else,” according to the ECSO.
• The 9-year-old told investigators she had informed other family members about the abuse. When Suggs found out, he held her by the neck against a wall and told her “Don’t you be telling people our business.”
• The 11-year-old said Suggs whipped her with a belt and once told her “If our business gets out to the world, I’ll kill you.”

“All four children stated they saw Eric whip [redacted] on the face several times with a cord,” according to the ECSO arrest report. “All four children stated Eric would whip each of them using a white charging cord or a brown belt, which left permanent scars on their body. Eric maliciously punished all five children by whipping them with a white phone charging cord and brown belt on multiple occasions.”

Suggs was arrested on Dec. 26, 2022.