By WECT Staff | October 26, 2020 at 8:54 AM EDT – Updated October 26 at 12:42 PM
COLUMBUS COUNTY, N.C. (WECT) – A man has been charged after a newborn arrived at a South Carolina hospital with multiple injuries, the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office said Monday.
Justin Williamson was arrested Oct. 22 and charged with felony intentional child abuse inflicting serious physical injury. He was booked under a $100,000 secured bond.
According to the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office, a 13-day-old female infant arrived at Loris Hospital on Sept. 8 for medical care.
Officials say the newborn’s injuries included scratches on her upper body, an abrasion on the side of her neck, bruising on the clavicle area and head trauma. She also reportedly had seizures due to the head trauma and was transferred to Grand Strand Medical Center in Myrtle Beach.
“The infant’s father, Justin Dewayne Williamson, 22, was alone with the infant while her mother, Crystal Hall, 21, was taking care of business in Whiteville,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release. “The father advised that he stuck his finger in the infant’s mouth, cutting the infant’s mouth. The infant then began choking on blood. He then did a finger sweep of her throat, cutting her again. He then thought she was no longer breathing, after attempting CPR, he rushed the infant outside to another family member. He said he might have hit her head on the way outside but he wasn’t sure. Hall was contacted and came home. The baby was then transported to the hospital after some time had passed. Williamson told a different story of what happened while at the hospital. Upon examination, blood was found in the infant’s nose and mouth.
“During the investigation, the investigator learned that approximately a week prior, Williamson was outside under a covered porch. He allegedly lifted the infant over his head because she was laughing and hit her head on the top rafters of the covered porch. The infant would have been seven days old or younger. Neither parent sought medical care for the child after that incident.”
The infant, who has since been released from the hospital, has been removed from her parents’ custody by the Department of Social Services.
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