Dad charged with fracturing infant son's skull (Grand Forks, North Dakota)

Yet another daddy who was babysitting while Mom was working. Couldn't take the pressure or whatnot, and now the baby has a skull fracture. Dad WILLIAM HOEHN has been charged with child abuse, with a warrant issued for his arrest.

http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/195151/

Published February 28, 2011, 07:34 PM
Grand Forks dad charged with child abuse
A Grand Forks father was charged Monday with fracturing the skull of his infant son.
By: Archie Ingersoll, Grand Forks Herald

A Grand Forks father was charged Monday with fracturing the skull of his infant son.

William Hoehn, 25, was not in custody Monday, but there was a warrant issued for his arrest on a child abuse charge that carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years.

Prosecutor Jason McCarthy said Hoehn’s son, who is younger than a year old, is doing OK and will not suffer long-term consequences from his injuries. McCarthy said he did not know who has custody of the boy, who is no longer in the hospital.

According to a police report, Hoehn picked up his son at daycare about 3:30 a.m. Jan. 5. Hoehn and the boy’s mother did not notice anything unusual about their son’s head that morning, the report states.

The report says the boy’s mother went to work about 4:40 p.m., leaving the boy in Hoehn’s care. A couple of hours later, she received a call from Hoehn, who was crying; he told her their son’s head was swollen and asked if he should take him to the emergency room, according to the report.

Hoehn brought the boy to Altru Hospital in Grand Forks where he was diagnosed with fractures near his right ear, McCarthy said. Suspecting child abuse, emergency room staff reported the boy’s injuries to police, authorities said.

Two doctors told police that in a case like this, “swelling would have more than likely occurred within a couple of hours after the incident that caused the fracture,” the report says.

McCarthy said authorities have ruled out the possibility the boy’s injuries were caused by an accident or a medical condition such as brittle-bone disease.

Hoehn does not have a listed phone number. A message left for DeWayne Johnston, an attorney believed to be representing Hoehn, was not returned Monday.