Dad facing felony assault charges in abuse of 6-month-old daughter (Minneapolis, Minnesota)

Funny that the headline says "Father Drops Baby on Bathroom Floor" when nobody but Daddy seems to be buying that line. The baby's injuries are far too severe for that, given that she's in intensive care with bleeding on the brain and breathing difficulties. These sorts of symptoms are usually associated with violent shaking and/or non-accidental head trauma, not a mere fall.

Of course the baby is injured while left alone with Daddy. Always seems to happen that way, doesn't it?

Father Drops Baby on Bathroom Floor
Published : Thursday, 05 Nov 2009, 9:42 PM CST

MINNEAPOLIS - A Minneapolis father is being charged after his 6-month-old ended up in the Intensive Care Unit.

Cherish Lavallais is 6 months old and struggling to stay alive. Cherish is in the HCMC Intensive Care Unit after doctors discovered her brain was bleeding, one of many injuries.

Cherish had been living with her family at The Drake Hotel shelter in downtown Minneapolis. On October 21 Cherish's mom tells FOX 9 she left her two young children home alone with their father, 20-year-old Alexander Lavallais. When the children's mother returned home she noticed Cherish was having trouble breathing and called 911.

Doctors at HCMC called police after seeing Cherish's injuries. Lavallais first told investigators Cherish fell off the bed. He later told investigators he dropped Cherish on the bathroom floor. "In relaying this to doctors they said with absolute medical certainty these injuries are not from that," said Sgt. Pat Myslajek with the MPD child abuse investigators.

Lavallais is in jail facing felony assault charges.

Greater Minneapolis Crisis Nursery works with families from The Drake and People Serving People. Molly Kenney says "As we all know parenting is a really, really challenging experiance even on the best days with all the support. By adding all the other obsticles being homeless, living in poverty,etc. There is a lot of stigma in calling and asking for help.

Greater Minneapolis Crisis Nursery has a 24 hour crisis hotline at 763-591-0100. In addition to counseling they offer overnight child care for parents in crisis. www.crisisnursery.org