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Grandmother, teacher testifies in trial for Roger Kirby, PBSO deputy accused of choking 5-year-old

Posted at 7:00 PM, Nov 02, 2017
and last updated 2017-11-02 19:00:39-04

A Palm Beach County Deputy is on trial, accused of choking a 5-year-old boy.

Roger Kirby faces several child abuse charges and up to 35 years in prison. 

Witness testimony continued Thursday, including the account from a teacher who broke the case wide open.

That teacher, Sandra Stanford, read from notes that she took while talking to the boy, who was 5 at the time.

NewsChannel 5 has chosen not to identify the boy. 

“The mean Aaron attacked my face when I was out of school, that’s why I was at the hospital.” she told the jury.

The state says ‘Mean Aaron’ that the boy is referring to is Roger Aaron Kirby.

“He always comes and slaps me,” she continued. “He always hurts me really bad.” 

Investigators say the boy received a number of injuries,  including a Petechia, a form of hemorrhaging 

“Doctor’s words were the worst case of Petechia he’s ever seen,” a former PBSO detective said. 

Kirby and his team says the deputy never touched the boy. 

His team points to the initial interview the boy did with members of the child protective team and law enforcement. 

He told investigators that he sleepwalks, and that he fell. 

“Actually, he said nobody did anything to him, including Aaron,” the deputy said. 

That story changed a few weeks later, when he made his confession to his teacher. 

The boy’s grandmother Elizabeth Dennis also took the stand Thursday. 

Dennis says her grandson didn’t mention Kirby by name when she visited him in the hospital immediately after the alleged attack. 

“He said to me it was dark, I had an accident, referring to wetting the bed. Then he said it felt like...and he put his arm over his face…and that was it.” 

The state rested it’s case and the defense started calling its witnesses late Thursday afternoon.

Kirby is expected to be one of those witnesses before the trial wraps Friday.