Dad charged with abusing 3-month-old son; baby has "six cracked bones" and "two brain traumas" (Omaha, Nebraska)

Dad is identified as BRIAN M. SWANSON.

http://www.omaha.com/news/crime/dad-charged-with-child-abuse-of--month-old-son/article_27b7ca00-e4e9-5139-9a11-7bc6183f55e2.html

Dad charged with child abuse of 3-month-old son who he said was choking
Posted: Wednesday, May 13, 2015 12:30 am
By Kevin Cole / World-Herald staff writer

An Omaha father has been charged with felony child abuse in connection with injuries to his 3-month-old son.

Brian M. Swanson, 31, was charged Friday in Douglas County Court. He was released from jail Monday after posting 10 percent of his $500,000 bail.

If convicted, he could face up to 50 years in prison.

The infant’s maternal grandmother, Aecha Otero, said doctors told her that the infant suffered “six cracked bones” and “two brain traumas.” She said the child is blind, but doctors are hopeful that condition can be reversed.

“The doctor cannot guarantee that he will be able to see again, but we are all thinking positive,” Otero said.

Otero said the child’s mother, Alexandria Otero, has been “devastated” by the incident and broke off her engagement to Swanson. A Douglas County Juvenile Court judge placed the boy in protective custody.

According to a police report, Swanson told officers that he was alone with the child when the boy began to choke on the morning of April 18. Swanson said he attempted to help the boy breathe by “putting his finger in his mouth” and then “turning him over and smacking his back.”

The child was rushed to a nearby hospital and later transferred to Children’s Hospital & Medical Center. The infant was diagnosed with a subdural hematoma, according to a petition filed by the Douglas County Attorney’s Office.

Subdural hematoma, or blood on the brain, is usually caused by severe head injuries.