Buckeye police arrest man after 5-year-old girl's arm fractured

Buckeye police arrested a man Tuesday on child abuse charges after the child's mother brought her to the hospital with a fractured arm.

Geterri Burton, 29, was arrested after authorities investigated a case involving injuries a 5-year-old girl sustained.

Police began investigating the case on May 30, after the victim, a 5-year-old girl, had been brought to the hospital with injuries "inconsistent with what was disclosed by the adult parties," according to court documents.

When the girl was discharged from the hospital, she was diagnosed to have had healing injuries as well as a new fracture to her left arm.

Court documents state that investigators spoke with the mother at their home, where she told police she was absent from when the child was injured.

Instead, she had received a phone call from Burton, who told her that he had grabbed the 5-year-old off the bed by both of her arms, and hit her in the arms twice.

Buckeye police would not disclose the details of the relationship between Burton and the child.

The mother told investigators that when she got home, she noticed that her daughter's arm "looked dislocated," adding that Burton "does not know his own strength."

Burton corroborated the story he had told the child's mother, adding that the victim, along with her brother, had been playing in their room when he tried to tell them to stop, according to court documents.

Court documents state that Burton told investigators he could hear the child crying while in the living room for "at least 20 minutes" after grabbing and hitting her. Burton said he went to check on her and noted that her shoulder/arm looked out of place.

Burton said he tried to put ice on it and proceeded to call the girl's mother, according to court documents. Burton later admitted during the interview that the force used on the child "did not make sense for the children playing" and that he was not trying to hit her that hard.

Court documents state that the Department of Child Services also spoke with the child, and she repeatedly told them that she had no idea why Burton kept hurting her.

Burton was later booked into jail on one count of child abuse.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Buckeye police arrest man after 5-year-old's arm broken