Police officer arrested for unlawful conduct towards a child

Columbia - August 8, 2005 - Columbia Police Department patrol officer Michael Antonio Giddens, 22, was arrested late Sunday night by the Richland County Sheriff's Office for unlawful conduct towards a child.

The sheriff's department was contacted by the Palmetto Baptist Hospital on Sunday after they discovered suspicious injuries to a four month old boy who was brought in.

Investigators believe sometime Saturday, while the mother was at work, Giddens spanked the child and dropped him to the floor. Deputies say when she got home, she changed the baby's diaper and noticed bruising on his buttocks and face.