Dad arrested for severely injuring 3-month-old son; blames his PTSD (Las Vegas, Nevada)

Seriously??? His PTSD made him do it? And this is being taken seriously?

Notice that there is no mention of a mother in the home.

Dad is identified as ANDREW LEACH.

http://www.fox5vegas.com/story/24666073/man-charged-with-child-abuse-after-baby-hospitalized

Man accused of abuse after baby hospitalized

Posted: Feb 07, 2014 4:22 PM EST Updated: Feb 08, 2014 12:54 AM EST

Written by Aaron Barker and Craig Huber

LAS VEGAS (FOX5) - Police said they arrested a man stationed at Nellis Air Force Base after a baby suffering from severe injuries was hospitalized last week.

Las Vegas Metro Police spokesman Officer Jose Hernandez said detectives were called to Sunrise Hospital on Feb. 2 to investigate a report of child abuse.

Hernandez said 31-year-old Andrew Leach, who is the victim's father, was charged with child abuse and substantial bodily or mental harm in connection with the child's injuries.

According to an arrest report, Leach told investigators that he was preparing to bathe his 3-month-old son when the child fell out of his arms, about 3 feet, to the floor. He said the boy then stiffened his arms and legs and stopped breathing.

Leach told investigators, according to the report, that he tried to perform CPR on the boy, but the child went limp. He said that he could not find a phone in his home to call for help, and ran to a neighbor's home and asked them to call 911.

The child was originally treated at O'Callaghan Hospital at the base, but was taken to Sunrise Hospital because of the severity of his injuries, according to the report.

The arrest report says a doctor at Sunrise Hospital told investigators that the boy's injuries were not caused by an impact. The doctor also said that when she questioned Leach about additional injuries that appeared to be about a month old, he had no explanation.

Leach told investigators he believed his son's most recent injuries were the result of him shaking him in an effort to revive the boy, according to the report.

According to the report, Leach suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as other psychological problems, and had been treated as recently as a week before his son was injured.

Therapist Scott Underwood has worked with PTSD patients.

"Unfortunately, you won't know what somebody is going to do sometimes until they do it," Underwood said. "They are overly vigilant, and they are reactive to things, more reactive than most people."

"The way that the mind tends to remember things when we're under a great deal of stress and traumatized is not the same way we would process things if we were thinking about them under normal circumstances," Underwood continued.

The child was still being treated at Sunrise Hospital on Friday, Hernandez said. According to the arrest report, the child had suffered massive brain swelling, cardiac arrest and respiratory failure.

Leach was being held at the Clark County Detention Center on $40,000 bond.