By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
A 28-year-old Centralia man was arrested yesterday for allegedly giving his 6-month-old baby a cut lip and other facial injuries when he struck the child because it was crying.
Jon M. Parker was booked into the Lewis County Jail yesterday afternoon after he was located at a bus stop in Centralia, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.
Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said the baby boy was taken to Providence Centralia Hospital two weeks ago by its grandmother. Parker had brought the infant to her Centralia home to be babysat, according to Brown. The alleged assault occurred previous to that, on Ives Road where Parker was staying, Brown said.
Deputies called to the hospital on Nov. 1 because of suspected child abuse weren’t able to find Parker until yesterday, according to Brown.
According to the sheriff’s office, Parker was upset because the baby was crying and hit him three times in the head while holding him, leaving him with severe bruising to his face, a bump on his head, a cut lip and a cut on the bridge of his nose.
The baby has been released into the custody of its grandmother. Parker was booked for second-degree assault of a child.
“I think the baby’s doing fine, I don’t know that there are any permanent injuries,” Brown said this morning.