GETTYSBURG, Pa. — Police in Adams County have charged a Gettysburg man with inflicting serious injuries on a 2-month-old infant in his care.
Skylar Keefer, 22, is charged with felony counts of aggravated assault of a person under 13 years of age and endangering the welfare of children, according to Gettysburg Borough Police. He was taken into custody Thursday, police said.
A doctor treating the boy said the victim "will suffer deficiencies for the rest of his life," according to a criminal complaint affidavit filed by investigators.
According to police, two doctors at Hershey Medical Center who are treating the victim said the child "will not be normal" after suffering a brain injury and "a fractured ankle which is only seen in child abuse."
Court records indicate Keefer is in Adams County Prison after failing to post $200,000 bail following his preliminary hearing.
Police began investigating the case on Wednesday after receiving information from the state Childline after the victim was transferred to Hershey Medical Center for treatment of "a brain bleed" and seizure activity that began the day before, the criminal complaint states.
A doctor at Hershey Medical Center said the boy was listed in critical condition when police arrived, and said his injuries appeared to be the result of "child abuse," the complaint said.
The child's mother told police she took the child to seek medical treatment under the advice of a "family friend," who became concerned when they saw a video of the infant repeatedly exhibiting a "jerking motion" Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.
The victim's mother claimed Keefer told her he "possibly struck the child's head on a wall," police said in the affidavit.
In an interview with investigators on Wednesday, Keefer allegedly demonstrated his actions by holding a toy doll, according to the complaint.
Police showed video of Keefer's demonstration to one of the baby's doctors, who claimed "this action does not meet the injuries" suffered by the child, the complaint states.
On Thursday, a doctor told police the baby's seizures were continuing and that the child had a breathing tube. The baby was also suffering from bleeding in his brain, spinal cord and behind both eyes, the doctor said.
Keefer allegedly called police for a second interview, this time claiming the child "accidentally fell down the stairs" after slipping out of Keefer's hands.
"I just ever said anything because I don't want to be the cause of everything (the baby) is going through," Keefer said, according to the complaint.
The child was "fussy" for a few minutes after the fall, Keefer claimed, but eventually calmed down. Keefer said he did not seek medical attention for the baby after his fall, according to police.
When investigators relayed Keefer's claims to the baby's doctors, they again told police that the injuries suffered by the child were not consistent with what Keefer was describing, police claim in the complaint.
One doctor allegedly told police that the child's injuries and seizures were "way more severe" than what Keefer was describing. The other doctor reported that they had "ruled out that these injuries were medical in nature" and were instead "the result of child abuse," according to the affidavit.
