Inset: Joshua George (West Virginia Department of Corrections). Background: J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, W.Va. (Google Maps).
A West Virginia man is behind bars after police said he hit his young son in the face, nearly knocking out the boy's front teeth.
Joshua George, 39, is being held at the North Central Regional Jail after being charged with child abuse. According to reporting by local CBS affiliate WDTV, George's 4-year-old son was brought to J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, West Virginia, on July 26 with a swollen face and loose teeth. Medical staff suspected child abuse and called the Marion County Sheriff's Office.
When deputies spoke with a forensic nurse at the hospital, she said the boy told her that his father got mad at him because he "would not go to sleep" after his mother read him a bedtime story.
Local NBC affiliate WBOY reported that the boy's face was swollen on the left side and his front teeth were loose, in addition to other visible injuries. Medical staff notified child protective services, and an investigation into the boy's injuries took place over the next couple of months.
During an interview at the Marion County Child Advocacy Center that took place in September, the boy told authorities that an injury to his ear was "from his daddy." Deputies reportedly obtained a warrant to view the boy's medical records on Oct. 1, which allegedly stated that "the juvenile disclosed that [George] got mad" and "hit" him.
George was arrested on Sunday and is being held on $100,000 cash or surety bond. His next court date was not immediately publicly available.
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