A Medina couple accused of inventing a stranger-attack story to explain their baby's injuries are now facing felony charges, after police say the father actually caused the harm himself. Christian Cooper, 28, was arrested Sunday, and Emily Niersberger, 24, was arrested two days earlier on Friday, both accused of lying to cover up Cooper's alleged assault on their 14-month-old child.
The case began on Sept. 5, when Niersberger and Cooper told Medina police they were walking their child in a stroller when a stranger approached and assaulted both Cooper and the baby, causing injury, according to 13WHAM. The Medina Police Department received the couple's complaint that day and began investigating the alleged robbery and assault as reported.
But investigators quickly noticed slight differences between Niersberger's and Cooper's accounts of what happened, the station reports. When detectives checked into the man the couple named as their attacker, they found he was not even in New York State at the time of the alleged assault — effectively collapsing the story from the outside in.
Police Say the Real Injuries Came From the Father
Once the alibi fell apart, police determined the couple's explanation for the child's injuries was false. Investigators concluded that Cooper struck the child himself, and that Niersberger conspired with him to conceal some of the details, per the same report from the station.
The child was treated for minor injuries at Golisano Children's Hospital in Buffalo, and Child Protective Services placed the child in a safe environment following the discovery, according to the outlet's reporting. Under New York Social Services Law § 413, medical staff at pediatric facilities like Golisano are mandated reporters required to immediately notify the state's Statewide Central Register when they suspect child abuse or maltreatment, according to continuing-education materials for New York mandated reporters.
Felony and Misdemeanor Charges for Both Parents
Cooper faces charges of assault, criminal contempt, forgery, making a false written statement, and endangering the welfare of a child. Niersberger faces charges of forgery, making a false written statement, and endangering the welfare of a child, the station's report states.
Assault in the Second Degree and Forgery in the Second Degree are both Class D felonies in New York, each carrying a potential penalty of up to seven years in state prison and fines up to $5,000 upon conviction, according to Tilem & Associates. Cooper's criminal contempt charge is a Class E felony under New York Penal Law § 215.51, which requires proof that a defendant knowingly violated an existing court order of protection, as explained by the Video News Service — a detail that points to a protective order already on file before or during the reported incident.
The misdemeanor counts both defendants face, making a false written statement and endangering the welfare of a child, are Class A misdemeanors carrying maximum penalties of up to one year in county jail or up to three years of probation, per the Tompkins County District Attorney's office, which clarified the statutory classifications for those charges. Unlike the felony counts, misdemeanor charges in New York are handled in local municipal or county courts rather than the state prison system.
Both Taken to County Jail Ahead of Arraignment
Niersberger and Cooper were both taken to the Orleans County Jail to await arraignment, the station reports. Defendants arrested in Orleans County typically go through the county's Centralized Arraignment Part Court, which operates out of the jail in Albion and holds daily sessions at 8:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. using rotating town justices, according to Orleans Hub.
Medina Police Chief Corey Black, whose department investigated the case, took over leadership of the Medina department in August after retiring from a 10.5-year career as an investigator with the Orleans County Major Felony Crime Task Force, Orleans Hub has reported separately. The Village of Medina, where the original complaint was filed, is the most populous municipality in Orleans County, with a Census-estimated population of 5,855 as of 2025, according to EachTown.
Child abuse and neglect investigations in Orleans County draw on regional infrastructure including the Justice for Children Advocacy Center in Albion, which provides multidisciplinary interview, medical and victim advocacy support across Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties, according to Genesee County government records. New York State's annual reported rate of child abuse and maltreatment runs roughly double the national average, with an estimated 1 in 7 children affected nationwide each year, per data compiled for the state's mandated reporters by Nursing CE Central.
It remains unclear whether bail was set for either defendant at arraignment, and the specific terms of the prior protective order tied to Cooper's contempt charge have not been detailed publicly. The status of any related child welfare proceedings involving the couple's son also has not been disclosed.
