HUNTINGTON, Ind. (WPTA21) — A Huntington man was arrested after a 2-month-old suffered injuries consistent with shaken baby syndrome, leaving him in critical condition.
Court documents filed with the Huntington Circuit Court state Braxton Gray was charged Monday with neglect of a dependent and domestic battery.
The charges stem from a March 26 incident where a two-month-old was taken to a hospital in severe trauma. The baby suffered injuries that the court documents label as suspicious for nonaccidental.
The baby’s mother told police she left the baby with Gray while she went to work. The baby was acting normal at the time. When she came home from work a few hours later, Gray was in a panic.
In an interview, Gray told detectives he was moving his chair downstairs when he lost his balance and threw the chair. He said he fell backward, landing under and on the bassinet.
Gray said he fell asleep feeding the baby and woke up slumped over the baby, who was breathing weird. He said the baby had a weak heartbeat and stopped breathing.
The court documents state he cleared the baby’s airwaves and performed chest compressions.
The officer writing the report said the possible causes for the injuries provided by the mother and Gray were explained to the child protection unit and deemed not plausible as a mode of injury to the baby.
The Riley Children’s Hospital Child Protective Unit said the findings are “highly concerning” for abusive head trauma.
Gray’s next hearing is set for April 8 at 8 a.m. in Huntington County Circuit Court.