Left to right: Kimberlyn Videa-Dubon and Luis Reyes-Pagan (Lancaster City Bureau of Police).
A 46-year-old man in Pennsylvania is accused of nearly beating his girlfriend's infant daughter to death, allegedly punching the 3-month-old in the head during a violent early-morning argument over a cellphone that left the child with a fractured skull and intracranial bleeding.
Luis Reyes-Pagan was taken into custody and charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, and endangering the welfare of children in connection with the Feb. 15 incident, court records show. Kimberlyn Videa-Dubon, the victim's 30-year-old mother, is facing the same charges as Reyes-Pagan, as well as an additional count of harassment for her role in the incident.
Officers with the Lancaster City Bureau of Police responded to a home on Union Street at approximately 3:34 a.m. regarding a report of a domestic violence incident involving a child, according to a report from Lancaster Online.
Upon arriving at the address, officers learned that an infant had suffered a severe head injury as a result of an altercation allegedly involving Reyes-Pagan and Videa-Dubon. Emergency medical personnel transported the baby to Lancaster General Hospital for treatment. Due to the severity of the child's condition, she was later transferred to Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.
Court documents state the child suffered a skull fracture and intracranial bleeding, the Daily Voice reported.
Investigators say the violence erupted during an argument over Reyes-Pagan's cellphone, local NBC affiliate WGAL reported.
According to charging documents, Reyes-Pagan told police that Videa-Dubon struck him multiple times while she was holding the infant. He claimed he responded by swinging his fist toward her, but accidentally hit the baby in the head. He admitted his conduct caused the child's injuries, describing his actions as "reckless but provoked," WGAL reported.
Authorities allege the infant was injured multiple times during the incident.
The Daily Voice reported that Videa-Dubon threw the baby onto a bed during the altercation, possibly causing the skull fracture. She is also accused of striking another person multiple times and hitting a third person in the face when they attempted to intervene.
Court records reportedly indicate that another child was inside the home at the time of the incident, though authorities have not said who that child is or where they are now.
The defendants were arraigned and released on $50,000 unsecured bail. They are both currently scheduled to appear in court again for their preliminary hearings on April 27.
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