Two infants are lucky to be alive after suffering severe injuries in separate alleged assault cases which left both hospitalized, one for a brain and spine injury and another with similar traumas. In San Antonio, a 22-year-old man was charged with causing significant harm to a four-month-old baby. According to KSAT, Darrion Fontenot faces a third-degree felony charge after the child was admitted to the hospital with serious injuries.
Fontenot, who was taken into custody a month after the incident, originally told authorities he "may have put the victim down on the bed too hard," reported the affidavit. The doctors quickly noticed that the infant's condition, including a bilateral sub-dermal cerebral hemorrhage, retinal hemorrhage, and cervical spine hemorrhage, were consistent with shaking. Having been initially unable to explain the apparent head trauma, police said the child is currently recovering from the injuries.
Meanwhile, across the state in Upper Yoder Township, Pennsylvania, a 36-year-old man was jailed, accused of assaulting another 4-month-old child. Kele Thomas Barry faces serious charges including two counts of aggravated assault, alongside charges for endangering the welfare of children and reckless endangerment. As per information obtained by Yahoo News, the mother of the infant took the baby to UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh on November 14, following the emergence of injuries that a doctor claimed stemmed from "physical abuse."
The affidavit further states that "The child has no evidence of an underlying medical condition, which would result in the constellation of neck injury and multiple areas of bleeding in his brain and spine," which was attributed to a physician's analysis. Barry, who eventually admitted to shaking the child out of frustration, was arraigned and sent to Cambria County Prison in Ebensburg after failing to post 10% of a $200,000 bond. The infant had been seen at a local clinic before being transferred to Pittsburgh, which set off a criminal investigation after Cambria County Children & Youth Services was alerted.
