A White Bear Lake man abused his 1-month-old son so badly that the baby nearly died, according to charges filed Friday.
Austin T. Whiteaker, 19, was charged in Ramsey County District Court with first-degree assault and malicious punishment of a child.
"Dr. Mark Hudson of Midwest Children's Resource Center, a child abuse pediatrician, reported that [the baby's] injuries are consistent with the legal definition of 'Great Bodily Harm' in that the child actually died and was revived and will have permanent disabilities as a result of the inflicted trauma," the charges said.
The baby suffered a "devastating brain injury," bleeding around the brain, hemorrhages in the left eye, multiple fractures and extensive bruising. The charges did not specify what types of disabilities the baby will likely suffer.
According to the complaint: Police were called to Whiteaker's apartment in the 3900 block of Hoffman Road about 6:40 p.m. on April 26 because the baby was not breathing. Whiteaker and the child's mother, 20, were home at the time. The couple's roommate, 20, was also home and performing CPR on the child.
"The baby was blue in color, was not breathing and did not have a pulse," the complaint said. "There was blood coming out of the baby's right nostril."
The baby was taken to St. John's Hospital, where he was revived, before he was taken to Children's Hospital.
All three adults told police that the women had gone to McDonald's to buy food, leaving the baby alone with Whiteaker. The baby was blue and unresponsive when the women returned.
