A Miami mother has been arrested after allegedly beating her 7-year-old autistic son with a belt for kissing a classmate's cheek at school. Kelly Michel, 27, faces child abuse charges after authorities discovered extensive bruising on the boy, including marks from his cheek to behind his ear and injuries to his eye.

Police responded to the boy's aftercare program on February 24 after staff noticed his injuries. The child told investigators his mother attacked him following an incident where he kissed a classmate who had fallen at school. A University of Miami Child Protection Team case coordinator determined the boy needed to be removed from the home.

Michel was arrested February 26 in Miami's Overtown neighborhood and booked at Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. According to an affidavit, she allegedly confessed to hitting the boy multiple times with a belt, explaining the eye injury occurred when the belt opened during the assault. A judge has ordered her to have no contact with her son.