Father stabs 8-year-old son in neck with screwdriver at California sober living facility

An 8-year-old boy was hospitalized after he was stabbed twice in the neck with a screwdriver by his father while visiting the man at an Orange County sober living facility, authorities said.

On Feb. 10 the father, a 28-year-old Santa Ana man, allegedly took the boy into his room and placed him on his lap to ‘talk about God’ before telling his son he was ‘going to send him to God’. He then attacked the boy, holding him down on the bed before stabbing him twice with a screwdriver and slashing his hands with a knife, while covering his mouth and nose to keep him from yelling, according to a news release by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.

A resident from the facility pulled the father off the boy, who was bleeding copious amounts of blood, after hearing his screams. At the time, the 8-year-old’s mother and stepfather were waiting in the driveway to pick up the child from his visit.

The father faces multiple charges, including attempted murder, and could receive a maximum sentence of more than 15 years if convicted, officials said.

The child was hospitalized for several days. Details on his current condition were not immediately available.