Dad Charged Over Assault On Infant Son, Months After Being Arrested For Hurting Daughter

KEY POINTS

The accused was arrested last year when his daughter suffered brain bleeds in his care
He then told the police he did not intentionally hurt the child
He was rearrested Tuesday for leaving his son with a fractured rib

An Indiana man was arrested Tuesday for assaulting his 12-week-old son after the child was found to have suffered from bruises, swelling and a fractured rib.

Jalen Casey, 26, was arrested months after he was jailed for abusing his newborn baby girl, Clark County prosecutor Jeremy Mull told CBS-affiliated WLKY. "This is a case where we had advocated this defendant remain in jail and unfortunately that didn't happen," he added.

According to court documents, Casey, while being arrested by the Jeffersonville Police, gave "several explanations" on how the baby boy got hurt, but "none were consistent with the baby's injuries."

The report added the mother of the child told the police she assumed her son was having an allergic reaction. However, the doctors who checked him said the boy's injuries were severe, WLKY reported. The police did not give additional information about the current condition of the child.

During Wednesday's hearing, the prosecutor argued Casey was a danger not only to his kids, but also to the community. The judge agreed to set a $200,000 cash bond. The accused was due in court Thursday for his initial hearing.

"Our mission is going to remain the same in this case and that is to hold him accountable to try and prove him guilty of these allegations and if that's done, to try and obtain a significant prison sentence," Mull added.

Casey was charged with neglect and battery in October after his newborn daughter suffered brain bleeds, a bruise to the middle of the chest, and a scratch on the lip and right armpit, News and Tribune reported.

He then told the police he was holding the child and walking into a dark room when he tripped and fell against a closet door, accidentally dropping her. According to him, the child began to cry, and he shook her because "she wouldn’t stop crying."

The child was then rushed to the hospital after she began vomiting. Casey was watching the newborn at her grandmother's house when the incident happened. "I didn’t intentionally hurt my daughter, and I would never do anything to hurt her," he told the police.

Though he was charged with abuse, a judge lowered his bond from $50,000 to $5,000, following which he was released from prison.