Berks man, 22, accused of seriously injuring his infant son
Jun. 23—Berks County detectives have charged a 22-year-old Bethel Township man with causing life-threatening injuries to his infant son, including several broken bones and head injuries.
Justin M. Schade of the 8700 block of Lancaster Avenue was committed to Berks County Prison in lieu of $250,000 bail to await a hearing following arraignment Thursday night before District Judge Steven M. Chieffo in Reading Central Court.
Schade faces aggravated and simple assault, and reckless endangerment charges.
According to the probable cause affidavit:
An ambulance crew responded to Schade's residence after someone in the household called 911 on Jan. 5 to report that the 10-month-old boy wasn't breathing.
When medics arrived, the baby wasn't breathing. He was stabilized before being taken to Penn State Health St. Joseph hospital in Bern Township along with his father.
Medical staff at the hospital determined the baby had life-threatening injuries that required advanced medical care. The baby was transported to Penn State MIlton S. Hershey Medical Center.
Medical staff there noted the boy had broken ribs that were in various stage of healing, bleeding below the brain and a ruptured eye socket with bleeding behind the eye, among other injuries.
Doctors determined the injuries were consistent with child abuse. A child protective services team was dispatched to the hospital to begin the initial investigation.
Berks detectives and the county children and youth services agency were contact after several child abuse referrals were made through the state's Childline portal.
On Jan. 10, detectives spoke with both parents of the baby. The mother said that on the day of the 911 call she had watched the baby all day until his father, Schade, came home from work about 5 p.m. She gave the baby to Schade and went to lie down because she wasn't feeling well.
A short time later, Schade came into the room and woke her up, saying the baby wasn't breathing.
She didn't know how to do CPR so she rubbed his back while Schade called 911.
The baby began to breath a few minutes later about the time the ambulance arrived.
The woman said that a few weeks before the incident she noticed the baby had a clicking noise in his chest. She had first noticed the noise in December. It eventually went away, so she did not seek medical attention.
She also said she noticed the baby was getting unexplained bruises.
A few days later, the woman told a detective that Schade had confessed to her that he had shaken their baby the day of the medical emergency. He told her the baby went limp and he shook the infant to wake him up. He said he didn't realize he had squeezed the baby hard enough to break his ribs.
On Jan. 23, detectives received another Childline report. The information alleged that the baby had been injured while he was a patient at Hershey Medical Center undergoing further treatment.
The baby suffered a large cut on his face that wasn't there when he arrived for the further treatment. Schade told hospital staff and members of the child protective team that his son cut himself as he was "fighting him" while Schade tried to feed him in the hospital.
Doctors told investigators it was impossible for the cut to have been self-inflicted.
Medical staff further stated the boy had bruising that was not present when he was first brought in for treatment on Jan. 5.
