Man Arrested After 4-Month-Old Hospitalized With Severe Injuries
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – A Westmoreland County man has been arrested after allegedly assaulting a 4-month-old child.
Police took 26-year-old Tyler Priggins of Youngwood Borough into custody after the child was taken to the hospital with trouble breathing.
Priggins already has a long history with the law. He's wanted on three active bench warrants in his native state of Kentucky, and he was also arrested there for drug violations.
Two weeks ago, paramedics were called to a house on South Third Street in Youngwood.
A 3-month-old boy was having difficulty breathing. Authorities say he had suffered a subdural hematoma, or blood on the brain.
Priggins' wife was at work, and he was at home alone with his baby son and two other young children.
The mother told police that the victim was smiling and appeared normal when she left.
In interviews with investigators, authorities say Priggins indicated that he was the cause of the injuries to the child, saying: "It had to be me. I was the only adult there."
At Children's Hospital, doctors determined that the little boy had bleeding and swelling of the brain, as well as seizures and bruises on both shoulders.
The attending physician told police that this was a near fatality and would have caused the baby's death if he hadn't gotten medical help when he did.
Priggins was arrested Thursday in connection with the child's injuries.
He is charged on multiple counts of aggravated assault and one count of endangering the welfare of a child.
Priggins did not post bond and remains in jail.
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