A Pontiac father who violently beat and choked his young son until the child passed out has now pleaded no contest to 2nd and 4th degree child abuse charges in Oakland County Circuit Court. The plea was entered during a December 3 pre-trial hearing and his sentencing is now officially set for January 21, 2026 at 11:00 AM.
The conviction stems from a disturbing August incident at the father’s home on South Edith Street in Pontiac. According to investigators, 38-year-old Cedric Diequell-Stevens Moore became furious that his 9-year-old son had fallen asleep on a couch. The child told deputies he was beaten repeatedly with a belt on his face, back, legs, and buttocks. He also reported being struck with a broom handle before his father placed hands around his neck and choked him until he lost consciousness.
When Moore briefly left the home to go to the store, the 9-year-old managed to escape and sought help from a neighbor. The father’s 1-year-old child was left behind inside the home crying from hunger. Deputies responded and immediately observed multiple injuries to the older boy, including welts to his torso and severe abrasions to his neck and eye. The younger child was found with healed cigarette burns on his back and legs, authorities said.
Moore was arrested later that evening at a relative’s home where he allegedly admitted he had been “whooping” his son for stealing. Court records show he was initially charged with Child Abuse in the Second Degree and Child Abuse in the Fourth Degree. Prosecutors also filed a notice seeking a sentence enhancement under Michigan’s Habitual Offender, Third Offense provision.
Sheriff Michael Bouchard condemned the case as one of the most unsettling forms of violence his deputies encounter. “One of the worst things we see is horrific abuse to children,” Bouchard said. “It cannot be tolerated, and those responsible must be held fully accountable and their children protected.”
The 9-year-old was taken to a hospital where he was treated for his injuries and is listed as stable. The 1-year-old is now in the care of a relative. Moore remains held on a $100,000 bond with tether required before any possible release. He will return to court next month where a judge will determine his punishment for the abuse that nearly killed his son.
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