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Father Charged After Newborn Baby Diagnosed With Multiple Skull, Rib Fractures

UPDATE (Sept. 19, 2019) --

A judge released Jamie Easley from jail Thursday on electronic ankle monitoring. He is also to have no contact with the victim or witness.

The Allegheny County District's Attorney's Office released a statement, saying:

"Our office argued for bond to be revoked based on the severity of the charges, however, he was granted (electronic home monitoring) over our objecting."

SHALER TOWNSHIP (KDKA) -- A Shaler Township man is facing child abuse charges after his newborn daughter was admitted to UPMC Children's Hospital with severe injuries.

Jamie Easley, 40, is facing felony charges of aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of children.

jamie-easley
(Source: Shaler Township Police)

According to police, the 4-week-old girl was taken to Children's Hospital last Wednesday after her primary care doctor found multiple bruises on her face and abdomen.

The child's mother told the doctor the little girl had not eaten in nearly two days.

KDKA's Meghan Schiller Reports:

At the hospital, doctors found the girl had skull fractures, subdural hemorrhages, 19 rib fractures, and other fractures to her left arm and her legs. She was admitted in critical condition to the hospital's Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. Her condition has since improved to serious.

"We got some news that the child may be improving, and we are hoping for a full recovery," Luteniant Sean Frank with the Shaler police said.

Neighbors say the family had just moved into house in Shaler.

According to the criminal complaint, Easley told investigators during a police interview that the baby's older sibling pulled her off a bed. However, doctors said a fall from a bed would not cause the kind of injuries she had.

Police say Easley later told them he grabbed the baby girl by the arm while she was crying, held her up, squeezed her and gave her "a quick shake." Soon after, the baby stopped crying.

shaler-township-infant-abuse-home
(Photo Credit: KDKA Photojournalist Steve Willing)

Easley is now being held in the Allegheny County Jail.

"Our heartfelt sadness goes out to this child," Frank said. "Most of our officers have children and some have grandchildren and it's really a gut-wrenching situation we're dealing with"

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