Dad bashes in head of newborn son because of birthmark (Holland, Michigan)

Once again, note the completely different double standard here.

There is little doubt that dad DENNIS LEROY ROSS, JR. is a hot-headed, irrational, and violent man. It appears he had no compunction about bashing in the head of a newborn because he suspected the baby might not be "his." And why does he think this? Because the baby has a birthmark resembling his brother's. So? That's not the baby's fault. And I assume that you all share a parent or parents in common. Could that explain a similar genetic inheritance? Honestly, this guy is too dumb and repulsive to breathe.

And Mom's great crime and why she lost custody to CPS? Besides having a weakness for incredibly ugly and stupid men? I'm just going by what is written here, mind you. She was confused as to the timeline because she was on painkillers for a CAESARIAN SECTION (which is major surgery) and was sleeping while Daddy was supposedly "caring" for the baby. But even with the meds, it was MOM who noticed that something was wrong with the baby and apparently got him to the hospital.

Yet both mom and dad are being treated the same. No custody, no visitation. This is why we keep hearing that mothers and fathers are "equally" abusive when they are not.

http://www.hollandsentinel.com/news/x1987755340/Case-of-abuse-of-4-day-old-child-headed-to-trial

Case of abuse of 4-day-old child headed to trial
By MEGAN SCHMIDT
The Holland Sentinel
Posted Jan 18, 2012 @ 11:41 PM

Holland — Shortly after Jessica Mullins’ baby was born, she and her boyfriend, Dennis Leroy Ross Jr., noticed a small birthmark on his neck — much like the one Ross’ brother and his children had on their necks.

In Ross’ mind, it was proof Ross was not the father of the newborn, Mullins testified Wednesday in Holland District Court.

The idea that his girlfriend was allegedly cheating on him with his brother infuriated Ross — and might explain why Ross allegedly caused such severe head injuries to baby Dennis Ross III. The 4-day-old baby had to undergo emergency surgery.

“He said, ‘I threw him down. He is not mine,’” Mullins testified in Holland District Court on Wednesday.

That’s the scenario the prosecution tried to show at Ross’ probable-causing hearing on first- and second-degree child abuse charges.

Ross, 38, told police the baby fell off an ottoman chair Feb. 1, the day he and Mullins brought the baby to the Holland Hospital emergency room for head trauma.

Hospital staff became suspicious, however, when they examined Dennis Ross III’s injuries, Brian Cote, a physician working that day, testified.

Cote quickly determined the bleeding in the baby’s brain was life-threatening, he said. The baby was transferred to Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital in Grand Rapids for emergency surgery.

There, physician Sarah Brown found Dennis Ross III’s injuries were not consistent with a fall from an ottoman chair, she testified.

“(The injuries) indicated something very violent had happened to the baby,” such as a blow to the head, said Brown, who specializes in child abuse cases.

Yet Ross — who said he had been watching the baby — could not explain to social workers how the baby fell. Ross told them he’d fallen asleep.

“He said things like, ‘I should’ve stayed awake,” and “I feel really bad about it,’” Bethany Kuik, a social worker for Spectrum Health, testified.

When she took the stand, Mullins — who is no longer dating Ross — seemed to have difficulty recalling the timeline of events leading up to the incident, which was nearly a year ago.

She said she believed the baby fell from the ottoman on Ross’ watch around 5:30 a.m. She was sleeping, too, and had taken prescription painkillers several hours before the incident for pain she had after her Cesaerean section, she said.

When she tried to nurse the baby around 1:30 p.m., she saw the swelling on his head, she said.

On the way to the hospital, Ross asked Mullins what she planned to say if doctors asked how the baby was injured, Mullins said.

“He said, ‘You better tell them one of the (other) kids did it,’” she testified.

Over the next months, Ross would frequently change his story — denying any wrongdoing one day and admitting his guilt the next, she said.

Since the incident, Child Protective Services removed Dennis Ross III from the custody of Ross and Mullins. They do not have any visitation rights. The baby is currently in a foster home.

Judge Susan Jonas said although there may be questions about Mullins’s credibility, there was enough evidence to send the case to trial in circuit court.

She changed Ross’ bond from a $25,000 cash surety bond to a $5,000 10 percent bond, at the request of the defendant’s attorney, who said Ross has been responsible in attending other custody hearings.

Ross’ next court date has not yet been set, but the case has been forwarded to Allegany County Circuit Court.