Dad arrested after 20-day-old son suffers severe head injuries (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho)

The accused "caretaking" dad is JAMES DEAN BLANCHARD. Though "multiple witnesses" say they had seen Daddy behave violently towards this infant before (who was only 20 days old!), his enabler mother is still defending him as "gentle and loving"! GAG!

http://www.kxly.com/news/28662796/detail.html

Father Arrested After Baby Suffered Severe Head Injuries
Anusha Roy | KXLY4 Reporter
Posted: 4:35 pm PDT July 25, 2011
Updated: 6:31 pm PDT July 25, 2011

COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho -- A 20-day-old baby is at Sacred Heart Medical Center suffering from serious head injuries allegedly at the hands of his father.

James Dean Blanchard, 19, is in custody and has been charged with felony injury to a child. While his son is fighting to survive a subdural hematoma, Blanchard made his first appearance in court Monday.

Blanchard's mom, Kelly Harbeck, was unable to hold the tears back for her son and grandson and said her son is innocent of the charges.

"It's devastating because I know how much he loved that boy. That's his first child," Harbeck said.

Sunday night Coeur d'Alene Police say there was a report that a baby had stopped breathing at a home in the 1000 block of 17th Street. Blanchard was livng at the residence temporarily with his girlfriend, the baby's mother.

Officers responded to reports of a baby not breathing around 9:30. At 3 a.m. they came back to the residence to arrest Blanchard.

Prosecutors say Blanchard didn't call 9-1-1 when he was taking care of the baby, but instead called his girlfriend. Witnesses have seen him behave violently with the child before.

Authorities say the baby suffered seizures early Monday morning, making the bleeding worse and was taken to Sacred Heart Medical Center.

"Multiple witnesses, who I believe will testify that the defendant on multiple occasions shook the baby forcefully, on multiple occasions he would scream at the child, he would haphazardly toss the baby across the room," David Robins with the Kootenai County Prosecutors Office said.

Kelly Harbeck denies those accusations, saying her son is nothing but gentle and loving, and believes he panicked last night which is why he didn't call 9-1-1.

"The baby was sick the week before, throwing up and everything. Figured he had a cold or something and the only reason James wouldn't have called 9-1-1 is because he panicked. He didn't know what to do," Harbeck said.

Harbeck could not, however, explain how the baby got his injuries.

Blanchard's bail was set Monday at $100,000, which was lower than what prosecutors had requested.