Florida repairman beats woman with children in home, police say

Credit: Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office

Credit: Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office

A woman was severely beaten by an air-conditioning repairman who came to conduct a scheduled repair Friday evening, but instead restrained the young children in the home and then attacked her, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office officials report.

By Saturday afternoon, authorities said they had their suspect, 34-year-old Dario Hernan Dotto of West Palm Beach, in custody and that he had confessed his crime to deputies. Sunday, Dotto remained in the county jail facing charges of attempted murder, kidnapping and child abuse.

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Neither the details of his confession nor the official arrest report were available Sunday. Officials also did not reveal for which company Dotto worked or where in the county the attack happened.

In a written statement, sheriff’s spokeswoman Teri Barbara said Dotto struck the woman multiple times with a “blunt object.” She was taken to Delray Medical Center to be treated for severe wounds to her face and head. Dotto’s motives were unknown, according to the statement.

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