Tribune staff reports
A Seymour man is facing charges of injuring an infant earlier this year after turning himself into police Wednesday morning.
Evan D. Huntsinger, 30, the child’s father, was arrested by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department after a warrant was issued Monday by Jackson Circuit Court Judge Richard W. Poynter.
The warrant and arrest were the result of a two-month investigation by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department into an incident in which the 7-month-old child sustained severe injuries.
On Feb. 22, the infant was brought to Schneck Medical Center’s emergency room by the parents for unknown medical reasons, according to a news release from the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department.
Personnel at the Seymour hospital provided care and performed tests on the child.
Doctors determined the child had suffered an internal head injury and the baby was transferred to Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health in Indianapolis for further treatment.
At Riley, doctors confirmed the head injury and bleeding on the brain. Later testing also discovered the child was suffering from a fractured rib.
Police were contacted by the Indiana Department of Child Services to investigate how the child was injured.
Officer Jesse Hutchinson said the DCS caseworker had spoken with Huntsinger, who said the child was sitting in a bouncy seat, and he had picked the baby up to give him a bottle.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Huntsinger told the caseworker that he fed the baby about an ounce of the bottle, and the child “flailed his arms, threw his head back and then went limp,” at which time Huntsinger said he put the child in his car and went to the hospital.
At Riley, the child underwent an eye exam, which indicated hemorrhaging that would be consistent with the infant being shaken, according to court documents.
The attending physician determined the injuries to be characteristic of “abusive head trauma.”
“This injury would require an amount of force that a reasonable caretaker would recognize as dangerous to an infant. It would not result from routine handling or care,” the report stated.
During the investigation, police developed Huntsinger as a suspect and submitted evidence to the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office, which petitioned the court for the arrest.
Huntsinger faces felony charges of battery resulting in serious injury to a person under the age of 14 and neglect of a dependent resulting in serious injury, both Level 3 felonies.
He turned himself into the Jackson County Jail in Brownstown at 9:50 a.m. Wednesday. Huntsinger’s bond was set at $5,000, which he paid and was released at 2:55 p.m. to await his initial court appearance.
Detective Tom Barker with the sheriff’s department is investigating the case.