Queens DA: Father Admitted To Infant's Assault
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A Queens father is facing charges he assaulted his 13-week-old daughter, allegedly because she wouldn't stop crying.
Juan Gomez, 23, was arraigned Saturday night on charges of assault and child endangerment.
Investigators say he admitted to head butting his daughter Hailey, pushing her feet onto her chest, and throwing her into the air to make her crying stop.
Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said Hailey had injuries that included 17 fractured ribs, a lacerated liver and a bite mark.
Brown also said the abuse began in late January in the family's Ozone Park apartment.
Doctors discovered her injuries two weeks ago, when the baby's mother brought her to the hospital because she was having trouble breathing.
The mother is also under investigation.
"The mother apparently was at work when the father was supposedly babysitting the child and the possibility that the mother was involved or at least knew what was going is something that is under investigation at the present time," Brown said.
"It's just disgusting. Unacceptable. I don't care. And I would hope that she would have nothing to know about it, just nothing because honestly that would be unacceptable," said Ozone Park resident Amanda Lopez.
The baby is out of the hospital in the custody of a relative.
If convicted, Gomez faces up to 15 years behind bars.