Washington Co. Father Denies Abusing Baby Girl
CANTON TOWNSHIP (KDKA) -- A father accused of abusing his 3-month-old baby girl tells KDKA's David Highfield that he doesn't know how his daughter got so many broken bones.
"I can say it's a shock. I don't like it," said 25-year-old Timothy Goodson of the charges he faces.
Doctors at Children's Hospital found that Airianna Goodson had multiple fractures, including her collarbone, ribs, arm, leg and foot. Doctors believe they happened at varying times. She was also diagnosed with failure to thrive.
Goodson, who is charged with aggravated assault among other charges, talked to KDKA outside the family's mobile home in Canton Township, Washington County.
Highfield asked, "Do you remember anything you might have done at some point that would have broken one of the bones?"
Goodson replied, "No. I mean there was one time I put her down faster than normal into the bassinet, but that was it. That's the only thing."
In police papers, he allegedly admitted to investigators that he got very frustrated when the baby wouldn't stop crying, that he may have put the baby down too hard on occasion and may have hit her too hard burping her.
But in our interview, Goodson said, "She cried a lot because she was colicky. I mean first time parent, I got frustrated, but I never handed her any roughly, never."
He says they took Airianna to Washington Hospital twice, once because it felt like her ribs were moving and popping.
"It didn't feel right. It felt like they weren't in place, said Goodson.
He says no broken bones were detected until an incident involving one of the family's five dogs.
"I was changing her diaper. The dog got rowdy. He jumped over me on to the couch and landed on her leg," said Goodson. Police say the dog did not cause the broken bones.
A short time after the interview, an ambulance took Goodson away. State Police say they were called because he wanted to sign himself into the hospital.
The baby is now in foster care. Goodson is charged with aggravated assault, among other charges, but the baby's mother, Rachel White, is only charged with endangering the welfare of children.
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