Monday, January 7, 2013

Dad charged with abusing 7-week-old son (Cheatham County, Tennessee)

Dad is identified as WESLEY ERIC SCOTT.

http://www.tennessean.com/viewart/20130104/ASHLANDCITY01/130104011/Father-charged-abusing-7-week-old-child

Father charged with abusing 7-week-old son

3:23 PM, Jan 4, 2013

Cheatham County authorities have charged a Chapmansboro father with aggravated child abuse after they said he repeatedly shook his 7-week-old son.

Wesley Eric Scott, 26, of Pleasant Valley Rd., is being held on a $500,000 bond in the Cheatham County Jail. He was arrested on Wednesday.

Cheatham County investigator Travis Walker said Scott admitted to shaking the baby on three separate occasions over a two to three week period to try and stop the baby’s crying.

The baby, who remains in Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital in Nashville, sustained 24 rib fractures, a skull fracture and a brain bleed.

The baby is progressing and is in stable condition, according to Walker.

The baby’s parents took the infant to Gateway Medical Center in Clarksville on Dec. 27 because they thought he was having a seizure.

An examination found a new head injury and 24 rib fractures from a previous injury, Walker said.

Due to the critical nature of the injuries, the baby was transported to Vanderbilt.

Scott and his girlfriend, the baby’s mother, live with family in both Clarksville and Chapmansboro, but the abuse allegedly took place at Scott’s home in Chapmansboro.

The mother does not face any charges because she told authorities she didn’t know anything about the abuse, Walker said.

Scott is scheduled to appear in General Sessions Court on Jan. 9.