ST. CLOUD -- A St. Cloud man is charged with physically abusing his infant daughter, leaving her with bruises and a fractured eye socket.

Twenty-five-year-old Scott Stang is charged with felony malicious punishment of a child under 4-years-old, felony malicious punishment of a child - substantial bodily harm and felony domestic assault by strangulation.

According to the charging complaint, the mother left the four-month-old child with Stang while she went out Tuesday morning. When she returned an hour later, the mother said Stang was clutching his head and the child was screaming.

Records show the child had bruises on her cheeks, neck, arms, under her left eye, and on her back.

According to the complaint, Stang told investigators he didn't mean to squeeze the girl that hard, admitted to causing the bruising by pushing his thumbs into her head and admitted to holding the girl so tightly that he heard the child gasp for air. Stang told investigators he did that two or three times to get the child to quit crying.

Records also show text messages between Stang and the mother where Stang said he didn't mean to bruise her, that he was just trying to calm her down. Stang also allegedly texted that he had woke up and got stressed the more the infant got stressed and held her tight and tried to talk her down.

There are no court dates currently scheduled.