Man charged with felony injury to child after admitting to hitting toddler
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REXBURG — A Rexburg man who told police a toddler’s injuries were from a Pack ‘N Play tipping over had actually hit the child, detectives said.
Police say Randy Stone, 27, hit the 15-month-old boy, whose face became scratched, bruised and swollen, according to an affidavit of probable cause obtained by EastIdahoNews.com.
Detectives were called to the Rexburg apartment on March 5, and the boy’s mother said Stone watched her boys the night before while she worked. The mother reportedly told police Stone texted her around 6:45 a.m. to say the Pack ‘N Play the toddler slept in fell over, causing the injuries.
Following the text, Stone took the 15-month-old to a babysitter, who asked Stone about the injuries. Stone reportedly said he took the boy to the hospital around 4 a.m. and was fine. Police later learned Stone never sought medical attention for the boy.
The babysitter then alerted the mother about the injuries and asked if she could give medicine for the boy’s pain. The mother rushed to pick him up, and a family member called police.
The mother said the Pack ‘N Play was normally wedged between something on each side, making it difficult to tip. During the investigation, officers found its two sides were against a wall, a third along a bed and the fourth along a cabinet bookshelf.
“Additionally, when we attempted to tip the Pack ‘N Play over, it took great effort for us to tip it to the side, and even then the bookshelf cabinet prevented it from tipping all the way over,” the detective wrote in the probable cause.
The mother told police the toddler’s teething led to poor sleep and him acting fussy. This could have led Stone to have less sleep and his temper to be shorter than normal.
Police wanted to talk to Stone. He came to the Rexburg Police Station on March 9 for an interview, where at first he told them how he found the Pack ‘N Play tipped over.
Stone said he never would intentionally hurt the boy.
Police did not believe his story, and when they pushed him further, Stone said he lashed out around 1 a.m. after hours of the boy crying and waking up.
After oral gel, music and a pacifier failed to soothe the boy, Stone found the toddler standing up in the Pack ‘N Play. At that point, Stone told detectives he spanked the toddler, who continued to cry. He then slapped the boy across the face, according to court documents.
Medical tests conducted following the interview with the mother showed no further serious injuries to the toddler.
Police arrested Stone on Tuesday and took him to the Madison County Jail. He appeared before Magistrate Judge David Hunt, who ordered his release that afternoon.
Stone is charged with felony injury to a child and faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 29 at the Madison County Courthouse.