Brent Troy Bartel: Man Carves Pentagram into the Back of His Son

The news just broke that, on December 12, 2012 (i.e. the day of the Apocalypse, as some argued only to be proven wrong eventually), a man from Texas decided to carve a pentagram on the back of his son.

Apparently, Brent Troy Bartel considered 12-12-12 to be a “holy day,” which is why he saw fit to present whatever divinity he held dear with a gift he considered would please it.

After carving the pentagram on the 6-year-old's back, the man called the local police and supposedly told the dispatcher that he had just “shed some innocent blood,” Digital Journal says.

Meanwhile, his terrified wife was trying to alert the neighbors, hoping to get help from them.

“He’s trying to hurt my 6-year-old. Please hurry! Oh, God!” she supposedly shouted.

When the police arrived at this man's house, they found that the kid's back was pretty much covered in blood, and that, messiness of the cuttings aside, a pentagram was quite easily distinguishable.

The doctors who took care of treating the boy's wounds say that, as far as they can tell, the man is quite likely to have used a box cutter to carve the pentagram into the kid's back.

Luckily for the kid, the cuttings were not deep enough for him to require any stitches, yet odds are that it will be a while until this 6-year-old manages to overcome the emotional trauma he suffered (if ever, that is).

Needless to say, the man was arrested and charged with aggravated assault. He is presently held at the Quad Cities Jail, and the bail was set at $500,000 (€382,450).

Given the fact that both Brent Troy Bartel's actions and his explanation for them are anything but something well-balanced people would do or say, this Texas man is to also undergo a psychological evaluation.

“This is a very bizarre case,” Sgt. Nathan Stringer commented with respect to this incident.