A Charlotte mother is facing serious child-abuse charges after her 7-month-old fell from a moving vehicle on Saturday and suffered a severe head injury, according to court documents. The infant remains hospitalized with injuries that an arrest warrant says caused mental impairment. Police have charged 26-year-old Diarra Damani McFarland in connection with the incident.
According to WCNC, McFarland faces a felony charge of intentional child abuse inflicting serious physical injury, along with a misdemeanor child-abuse count. An arrest warrant reviewed by the station states that the baby fell from a moving vehicle and was taken to a children's hospital, where doctors treated head trauma that the warrant describes as causing mental impairment. McFarland is scheduled to appear in Mecklenburg County District Court on Monday at 1:30 p.m.
State law and penalties
Under North Carolina law, intentionally inflicting serious physical injury on a child is prosecuted as a felony, with the exact classification and punishment depending on how severe and permanent the harm is. The statute calls for tougher penalties when an act results in "serious bodily injury" or leads to permanent impairment, according to the North Carolina General Assembly.
What happens next
McFarland's arraignment in Mecklenburg County District Court will set the next steps in the case, including any decisions on bond and whether prosecutors pursue additional charges. As the case moves forward, court records and future statements from police or the district attorney's office are expected to fill in more details about what happened and how the legal process will unfold.
