BATON ROUGE – A man has been arrested after he beat his two step-children, one of which he choked using a rope.

The East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office was contacted on Oct. 4 about a 13-year-old girl with bruises on her legs, arms and a bald spot on the front of her head where hair had been pulled out. The girl stated that her step-father, 38-year-old Marlon Thomas, choked her several times previously when he was mad at her.

Thomas' 14-year-old step-son also stated that Thomas had beaten him previously and wrapped a rope around the child's neck, choking him and threatening to kill him. The boy was able to kick Thomas away in order to breathe.

According to the arrest report, both children stated that they told their mother about the incidents, however, when asked by police, she stated that Thomas would take the phone from her when she would try to call to report what happened. She also stated that when Thomas choked her son using a rope, "she did not think the incident was bad enough to call the police," the arrest report indicates.

Thomas was arrested on two counts of cruelty to juveniles and 35-year-old Kristin Thomas, the mother of the two children, was arrested on two counts of accessory after the fact to cruelty to juveniles.