WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (WAVY) — A James City County Police officer indicted last month on felony child abuse charges denies he had any role in her injuries.
Caleb Crawford, 30, faces child abuse and malicious wounding charges involving his infant daughter. Through his attorney Andrew Sacks, Crawford on Thursday afternoon denied any wrongdoing.
“Mr. Crawford is absolutely adamant that he has done nothing to his child,” Sacks said. “He loves his child.”
Court documents show the little girl, just 11 days old, had numerous serious injuries, according to staff at CHKD back in March. They included a completely broken left leg, bleeding on the brain, three fractured ribs, abdominal trauma and pulling and twisting fractures unique to infants.
Sacks said the Commonwealth was in too big of a hurry to charge Crawford.
“We think that this should have been investigated much more slowly and much more carefully and deliberately,” Sacks said.
The child’s mother has not been charged. According to investigators, both mother and father said the injuries may have happened at Riverside Regional Medical Center, where the child was born March 13. Riverside did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“We have a lot of evidence already to suggest this is birth-related,” Sacks said. “It could be genetic disposition to certain types of conditions that can make bones brittle. There are lots of causes that are other than human causes that could explain this.”
Sacks said the three-month old girl is doing much better now.
“Fortunately the baby has recovered,” Sacks said. “All the injuries have healed and everything looks good, and I think that speaks for things that are much more likely to be birth process than human-caused trauma.”
Sacks said the baby is with family, but Crawford can have no contact with her as part of his $50,000 bond. His trial is set for Feb. 24.