The infant had 12 broken bones. Dad said next time ‘would probably be worse’

The baby had at least 12 fractured bones when his parents brought him to the hospital.

It didn’t take Pierce County sheriff’s deputies long to determine the 4-week-old boy’s father was likely the one who hurt him.

The 19-year-old dad, his girlfriend and their baby lived in Spanaway with the child’s grandmother, who told investigators the infant was likely hurt by the father’s “carelessness,” according to court documents.

On Dec. 29, the baby’s mother became concerned about her son’s swollen leg and brought him to the hospital. Doctors called the Sheriff’s Department after noticing the extent of the injuries, which included fractures to both legs, ribs and clavicles.

The dad initially said his son’s injuries probably happened when he pushed the infant’s legs above his head, a technique he said relieved gas. He also speculated the baby could have gotten hurt when he tossed him into the air several feet while playing, or while massaging the infant’s tiny body.

Eventually, the dad admitted he was sleep deprived because caring for a crying baby is “stressful” and he’d been struggling with anger issues, records show.

He allegedly asked deputies if someone could supervise him around his son in the future because “I feel like next time if I do get frustrated with him it would probably be worse,” according to charging papers.

The father also said he may have been drunk when he injured his son and thought the injuries could have been worse because he “felt he was holding himself back.”

Doctors said the baby’s injuries appeared to be inflicted at different times.

Prosecutors have charged the dad with first-degree child assault. He pleaded not guilty and was ordered jailed in lieu of $300,000 bail.

This story was originally published January 5, 2018 at 11:02 AM with the headline "The infant had 12 broken bones. Dad said next time ‘would probably be worse’."