A Richmond man accused of squeezing his 5-year-old daughter's rib cage hard enough to break a bone is now locked up in the Madison County Detention Center after U.S. Marshals tracked him down in Berea. Daniel Keate, 37, was taken into custody without incident on Tuesday, ending a search that stretched back to an August incident involving his daughter.
Allegations Trace Back to August
According to FOX 56, Keate allegedly squeezed a child around the middle on August 13. The child was taken to UK Children's Hospital for an X-ray, and FOX 56 reported that doctors there confirmed at least eight broken ribs. A separate report from LEX 18 described the confirmed injury differently, stating that doctors confirmed her injury included a broken rib, without specifying a higher count. The two accounts have not been reconciled.
FOX 56 also reported that doctors at the hospital said multiple fractures were in the process of healing and that the injury occurred within the last 12 weeks, based on their examination. An arrest warrant was issued Tuesday after allegations surfaced in a forensic interview, according to WCHS-TV, which involved Keate's two children, per WNKY.
Surveillance Leads to Berea Apartment
Investigators believed Keate had traveled from London, Kentucky, and was potentially located at an apartment in the 100 block of Logan Court in Berea, according to WNKY's reporting attributed to the task force. Investigators confirmed Keate was at the Berea address while conducting surveillance, and authorities then executed an arrest plan there. WCHS-TV reported that a surveillance operation tracked Keate to the Berea address, where he was taken into custody on Tuesday.
The U.S. Marshals Service Central Kentucky Task Force made the arrest, per WNKY's account, and FOX 56 confirmed that Keate was taken into custody without incident on November 3. He is accused of breaking his 5-year-old daughter's rib, and he now remains at the Madison County Detention Center, held on a $75,000 cash bond, according to FOX 56.
Charges and Unresolved Questions
Keate was wanted on charges including second-degree assault and first-degree criminal abuse or neglect of a child under 13, per WNKY, which reported that the warrant was issued following a forensic interview. LEX 18 separately reported that Keate was arrested on charges of second-degree assault, child domestic violence, and first-degree child criminal abuse or neglect. Kentucky's statute on assault in the second degree sets out the offense's elements; the cited version of KRS 508.100 on criminal abuse in the first degree has been superseded.
The allegations against Keate remain just that — accusations that have not been resolved in court, and no information on a plea or upcoming proceedings has been reported. WKYT reported that 24-year-old Sean Dykes was charged with criminal abuse and domestic violence after a 3-month-old girl was found with approximately 27 bone fractures, including injuries to her skull, ribs, spine, arms, legs, hands, and feet.
