James Chance Erin, a 36-year-old Brandon Township resident, has been accused of shaking his infant son, and is therefore facing child abuse charges in Oakland County.

 

According to police records, the 2-month-old boy’s mother was at work at the time the incident occurred. However, once the baby started having seizures she took him into the Royal Oak Beaumont Hospital, where medical staff revealed that the baby’s injuries were consistent with child abuse.

 

The father, Erin, told his wife and authorities that he had rolled the baby during a nap to discover that the child was unresponsive. In an effort to get the baby to respond, he shook the child a little and attempted CPR on the boy. However, doctors say that the baby’s injuries are not consistent with this version of events.

 

Apparently the infant had sustained  multiple subdural hematomas and retinal hemorrhages, which are what doctors consider to be the classic signs of “shaken baby syndrome.” In addition, the child also sustained a fractured tibia and four broken ribs. The injuries were reported to police as suspected child abuse.

 

Officers arrived at Erin’s home and arrested him without incident. He was then transported to the  Brandon Township Substation where he was questioned. Police say that initially Erin stuck to his version of events, claiming that he had found the baby unresponsive during a nap.

 

But after considerable time spent talking it over, Erin allegedly admitted that he had grown frustrated with the baby, who would not stop crying. Erin apparently admitted to officers that he had lost his temper and shaken the baby because he wouldn’t stop crying.

 

Erin has been charged with two charges. He is facing a single count of First Degree Child Abuse, which under Michigan law is a felony punishable by a prison sentence of any number of years up to life, and a single count of  Domestic Violence, which is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 93 days in jail.

 

Erin is currently in police custody at the Oakland County Jail. The Judge granted him a $250,000 cash bail, which he has not posted. His arraignment is scheduled for August 15th.

 
We would like to mention here that “shaken baby syndrome” is something that CPS workers mention regularly, but is slowly being abandoned by the medical community, as recent studies have revealed that the “classic signs” of shaken baby syndrome are based on faulty medical assumptions.