Prosecutors brought a 25-year-old up on an assault on a minor charge after his child, found unaccompanied in Lakeside on July 22, told authorities he beat her.

Deputies with the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office arrested Tyeler Cole Dana that same day. He is being held in county jail on a $40,000 bond.

Authorities began investigating Dana after getting called to Stoner Creek Road about 12:48 p.m. after a parent alerted deputies to an unattended child playing with her kids. The child said she was avoiding going home because “her daddy hits her,” according to court documents.

When deputies arrived, they noted the child suffered from two black eyes. She allegedly told investigators that her father slapped her, later telling emergency responders that he had stepped on her stomach, legs and ankles over the prior 24 hours as well. She subsequently underwent a medical evaluation, according to court documents.

Deputies identified Dana as her father and found him at home up the street. He told them he awoke about 20 minutes earlier and, realizing she was missing, planned to go out looking for her, court documents said. He allegedly said her injuries likely came from climbing out of the house through a window.

He is expected to be arraigned before Judge Dan Wilson on Aug. 18. If convicted, he faces five years in state prison and a fine of up to $50,000.

News Editor Derrick Perkins can be reached at 758-4430 or [email protected]