A 42-year-old Oak Creek man is charged with child abuse after police say he beat his 15-year-old stepson for skipping school last week.

According to the criminal complaint, on Sept. 26, the victim came home and got into an argument with his mother about skipping school. The boy went up to his room, but was confronted by his stepfather, who isn’t being named by Patch in order to protect the identity of the victim.

The two then got into an argument that escalated, the complaint stated, and the suspect began to hit the boy repeatedly in the face and upper body. The victim didn’t fight back, and curled up in the fetal position.

The victim suffered a minor concussion and broken nose along with other injuries, according to the criminal complaint.

Oak Creek police officers were tipped off to the abuse anonymously and interviewed the defendant, who admitted to hitting the boy, according to the complaint, telling them “I let him have it,” and that he hit the boy with “pretty powerful” force. After the beating, the boy laid on the floor crying and bleeding and the suspect said he told the boy to “go and clean yourself up.”

The man is charged with one count of physical abuse of a child and one count of substantial battery. If convicted, he faces up to 9 ½ years in prison and $20,000 in fines.