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3-month-old injured baby still in Akron hospital; father silent
By Denise Dick
BOARDMAN
A 3-month-old baby boy remains hospitalized in Akron, and so far, his father isn’t talking to police.
Township detectives traveled to Akron Children’s Hospital’s main facility Tuesday where the baby was flown by helicopter Saturday evening.
The child’s 30-year-old father took the baby to the Boardman campus of Akron Children’s on Saturday afternoon. The boy was unconscious and not breathing when he arrived at the hospital.
Police said the father is consulting with an attorney and declined to speak with detectives Tuesday. He is not charged in this case.
Township police arrested the father on a warrant Wednesday, however, accusing him of failing to appear in Struthers Municipal Court on a traffic charge. He was in jail Wednesday afternoon in Struthers. The cases aren’t related.
They said the baby remains under constant monitoring at the hospital.
The father, who lives on Meadowbrook Avenue in the township, told hospital staff Saturday that the baby was asleep on the couch when the family dog jumped up. He said he got the dog off of the couch, but then the baby fell to the carpeted floor and lost consciousness.
The child’s 22-year-old mother wasn’t home when he was hurt.
Hospital staff in Boardman took a CAT scan on the boy which showed nine rib fractures and “multiple brain bleeds which appeared to be from previous injuries,” the police report said.
“Hospital staff stated the severity of the child’s injuries made it highly unlikely to have occurred from falling off a couch,” the report said.
The hospital called police and Mahoning County Children Services.