Muncie man faces dealing, child abuse charges

MUNCIE, Ind. — City police said an investigation of child abuse allegations against a Muncie man also led to his arrest on drug-dealing charges.

Cory Allen Seats, 22, was arrested Jan. 17 after a witness reported he had struck a child at his home.

Investigators said a surveillance video showed Seats repeatedly struck the boy's hands, "hard," during an incident that was captured on surveillance video.

Another video reportedly showed the Muncie man screaming in the child's face and throwing him onto the floor "from just under waist level."

He also reportedly told the boy, who is less than two years old, there was "no reason for you to be crying like a little --- baby."

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A woman in the home told police Seats held a handgun to her head and threatened to kill her.

Police served search warrants at Seats' northside home, and at the southside home of his mother, and reported finding 1.63 pounds of psychedelic mushrooms, in resealable one-gallon storage bags, and nearly six pounds of marijuana.

Also seized were "a digital weighing scale, an electronic currency counter" and more than $8,000 in cash.

Seats was charged this week in Delaware Circuit Court 1 with dealing in a controlled substance, neglect of a dependent resulting in bodily injury, domestic battery on a person less than 14 years old, domestic battery, dealing in marijuana and two counts of intimidation.

The dealing-in-a-controlled-substance count is a Level 2 felony carrying up to 30 years in prison.

An initial hearing is set for Feb. 22.

Douglas Walker is a news reporter for The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Police: Child abuse probe led to drug dealing charges