WARNING: The following story contains graphic content
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) – The father of a child who somehow suffered fractured bones in his leg as well as broken ribs and a broken clavicle is now facing felony neglect charges.
Allen County Prosecutors on Friday formally charged 34-year-old Terry L. Hargis, Jr., with three Level 3 felony counts of neglect of a dependent causing serious bodily injury.
The child, whose age was not given, was seen by doctors on June 4.
During that visit to a local hospital, medical professionals found the child had a broken right femur, a broken right tibia and fibula, two broken ribs and a broken clavicle.
The following day, a Department of Child Services caseworker called Fort Wayne Police to the child’s home to remove him, according to court documents.
The child was taken to Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis for further treatment, court documents said.
There, a doctor later told police the child did not have a bone or bleeding disorder that would’ve explained the injuries.
The injury to the boy’s leg showed a “classic squeeze injury,” the doctor said in court documents, which was caused by forcible grabbing and squeezing. The front femur fracture was a “transverse fracture,” which meant it had been caused by a “bending force,” the doctor told police in those court documents.
That injury had happened less than a week prior to the child arriving at Riley Hospital.
The child also had a broken ankle, which looked like a “classic yanking or pulling” injury, according to court documents. The doctor said that injury was about 10 days old.
In regards to the broken ribs, the doctor said they were in the process of healing and could not have been broken during birth, court documents said. Those fractures were at least 10 days old when the child was seen.
The doctor said all those injuries were “caused by abuse,” according to court documents.
Hargis had been taking care of the child during the time the child suffered those injuries, according to court documents. Investigators offered him a chance to explain the injuries, but Hargis declined to meet with them.
It’s not clear whether he has been booked into Allen County Jail, but a warrant for Hargis’ arrest has been issued.
He’s currently facing a July trial on a misdemeanor count of invasion of privacy stemming from an incident this past February, and he’s also facing an August trial on felony counts of stalking and residential entry.
