Background: Baptist Health Richmond hospital in Richmond, Kentucky (Google Maps). Inset: Steven Davis (Madison County Detention Center).
A man in Kentucky is accused of abusing his toddler son inside a hospital and shoving his fingers in the child's throat to stop him from crying.
Steven Davis, 20, faces a charge of first-degree criminal abuse of a child 12 or under, Madison County jail records reviewed by Law&Crime show. He was booked into the Madison County Detention Center on Thursday.
According to an arrest citation obtained by local Fox affiliate WDKY, on Feb. 4, Davis was at Baptist Health Richmond hospital in Richmond, a city located about 30 miles southeast of Lexington, with his 1-year-old son. His fiancee was being treated in the hospital's Clinical Decision Unit, described by the facility as "a separate space in the Emergency Department for emergency mental health services."
According to authorities, at one point, the child ran out of the room where they were staying and Davis aggressively dragged him by his arm back inside, alarming hospital staff. The father allegedly dragged the boy around the room by his arm multiple times, at one point twisting his arm and at another point slamming him into a chair.
Davis reportedly tried to give his son a bottle, but the child cried, and the father allegedly threw the bottle across the room.
As the child continued crying, the defendant pushed a blanket and his fingers inside the child's mouth and down his throat, the criminal citation said, adding that the action caused the boy to gag and hit his head on a chair.
Richmond police officers investigated the incident, reportedly reviewing surveillance footage provided by the hospital. Davis was arrested and booked into jail.
The defendant was released on Friday after posting a $10,000 bond, the Madison County Circuit Court Clerk's Office told Law&Crime, adding that he is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Wednesday.
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