An Arizona man is behind bars after his 4-month-old daughter was admitted to a hospital presenting severe head trauma and multiple rib fractures, as reported by FOX 10 Phoenix. David Roman, the 27-year-old father from Buckeye, has been charged with child abuse following the child's hospitalization on March 13, which revealed "extensive skull fractures, brain bleeding and broken ribs," said the prosecutor in court statements.
According to Buckeye Police, in a statement obtained by FOX 10 Phoenix, the injuries were determined by medical staff to be non-accidental, despite Roman's claims that the baby had fallen multiple times, once allegedly dragged off the bed by the dog, and that he stumbled on a toy and fell onto the baby himself, hospital staff found his narrative inconsistent with the severity and nature of the infant's injuries. In court documents, the suspect's attorney suggested the rib injuries could be from an existing medical condition, but police have not swayed from their charge of abuse and endangerment.
During court proceedings, Roman's counsel attempted to downplay the situation, alluding to potential doubts about the cause of the baby's injuries, "They’re mere accidents. There is some question as to how often these accidents occur, what’s the likeliness of all these accidents occurring, what is the probable cause he’s causing these injuries to his child," Roman's attorney argued and was quoted by FOX 10 Phoenix.
The case has elicited strong reactions from the community with one neighbor, a mother of three, expressing her disbelief and distress over the situation, particularly because the injuries happened so close to home, "For you to be in the care of someone who's supposed to love you more than anything in the world and to get hurt like that, to be put through that pain, I can't even imagine," she told FOX 10 Phoenix wishing she had heard any cries for help, the woman says accidents are more common at the toddler stage and she doesn't believe the suspect's claim that it was an accident, concluding, "I don't see how that can be an accident."
Roman's bail has been set at $25,000, and conditions prohibit him from residing in the same premises as the victim. The injured child is currently receiving care and recuperating at Phoenix Children's Hospital, away from the environment and individuals that might have led to this tragic juncture, as confirmed by 12 News, who also added that investigators have concluded some of the baby's injuries were caused by "compression" and are inconsistent with Roman's accounted scenarios involving accidental falls.
