A 50-year-old Tampa man faces a child abuse charge after Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office deputies say he drove his golf cart into a 15-year-old’s cart, then pulled the boy to the ground and struck him repeatedly during a dispute over slow play at Lansbrook Golf Club in Palm Harbor.

Rhett Andrae Drummond was arrested Saturday, Aug. 22, at the course on Village Center Drive, according to WTSP, which obtained the arrest affidavit.

What deputies say happened

The affidavit states Drummond argued with the teen over the boy’s pace of play. The two initially separated after the verbal exchange, but Drummond then drove his golf cart into the teen’s cart.

Deputies say Drummond grabbed the 15-year-old by the shirt, pulled him off the cart and struck the boy in the head and face several times while the teen was on the ground. The boy suffered a bloody nose and redness around his neck.

Drummond admitted his role in the confrontation, according to the affidavit.

Both the teen and his mother requested criminal charges. PCSO arrested Drummond at the scene Saturday.

The charge

Drummond was charged with child abuse under Florida Statute 827.03. The arrest affidavit and subsequent reporting identify the charge as a third-degree felony. Under the statute, a person who knowingly or willfully abuses a child without causing great bodily harm, permanent disability or permanent disfigurement commits a third-degree felony.

A third-degree felony is punishable by up to five years in prison. The statute does not require the accused to be a parent or caregiver.

Drummond was booked into the Pinellas County Jail on $500 bond, according to arrest records.