Henry L Love, inset, is in police custody following the forced baptism of an 11-year-old boy.
Love, according to this report, was arrested and charged with child abuse for allegedly attacking the boy because he said God wanted him to.
Love, 51, told investigators that “he was awoken from his sleep by God” and told to baptise the boy, who was staying with him.
He reportedly ordered the boy to strip down to his underwear before dragging him to a swimming pool belonging to his neighbor, which was described by investigators as:
Filthy with algae and bugs.
Love then dunked the boy’s head in the pool several times against his will, while telling him that he was being baptised.
The boy’s mother, who had left the boy in Love’s care earlier that day, took him to a hospital that night where he was treated for eye and ear infections.
Following his arrest, Love was booked into Volusia County jail, where he was held without bail.