Rhea County Detective: baby’s injuries were ‘very, very disturbing’

RHEA COUNTY, Tenn. (WDEF) – The Rhea County Sheriff’s Department upped the child abuse charge against James Alexander after a 10-month-old suffered serious injuries.

“The photographs, they say, speaks, you know, 10,000 words and it’s the photographs and the injuries in person were very, very disturbing,” Rhea County Detective Rocky Potter said

Det. Potter said Dayton Police got information that there was a child at the hospital with severe bruising on her shoulders, neck, and face.

He said when the baby’s mother came to pick her up she noticed the injuries, and Alexander, a family friend, fled.

Potter said at the time of the incident, the baby and a three-year-old were in Alexander’s care.

The toddler was not hurt.

Potter said on Friday police tried to arrest Alexander around Wal-Mart, but he ran off.

He was eventually arrested at a shopping center across the street for Resisting Arrest and Public Intoxication for being under the influence of a controlled substance.

“During that time I went to T.C. Thompson, was able to get photographs of the victim. There was a witness there to some of the incident and gathered enough information where I felt comfortable that Mr. Alexander was the one that had injured the child and came back that evening and charged him with aggravated child abuse,” Det. Potter said.

Alexander was Charged under Haley’s Law.

That made the aggravated child abuse charge a class A felony.

“You have to meet certain descriptives. Child has to be under the age 8. The injuries have to be heinous in nature. There has to be a fracture or severe bruising or a permanent injury,” Det. Potter said.

Potter said the 10-month-old suffered severe bruising, a fractured hand, and had temporarily lost mobility of one leg.

He also said Alexander has an extensive criminal record and has been arrested for misdemeanors and felonies.

As for the baby girl, Potter said she has been released from the hospital and luckily, it seems that her injuries will not be permanent.

Alexander’s bond was set at $100,000.

He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on January 26th.