A man has been accused of physically abusing his 2-month old daughter and breaking her ribs, arms, legs, and collarbone. Providence Journal is reporting that Alfonso Acevedo was arraigned Friday on three counts of first-degree child abuse.
Prosecutors claim the 28-year-old has since admitted to physically abusing his infant daughter—baby Sage. The Rhode Island man was arrested by police after taking her to the hospital because of a fractured right leg.
Upon examination, Dr. Christine Barron, a director of the hospital’s Child Protection Center, discovered that the infant had 12 broken bones.
Some of the bones had been broken recently, while others were in different stages of healing. The doctor concluded that baby Sage had been abused and notified the state’s Department of Children, Youth and Families as well as the police.
The state took protective custody of baby Sage and her twin 2-year-old sisters. DCYF spokeswoman Kerri White told Boston.com that there was no evidence that the twin girls were abused.
According to court documents, Acevedo is believed to have abused his infant daughter on three different occasions. Authorities are saying that they do not believe the baby’s mother was aware of the ongoing abuse.
Alfonso Acevedo’s bail was pegged at $75,000 with surety, and he was instructed to desist from having any contact with the children.
If convicted, the 28-year-old faces up to 20 years in prison on triple counts of first-degree child abuse.
NBC 10 News spoke to several neighbors of Alfonso Acevedo who expressed outrage at the news that he was abusing his daughter. Ravana Moreira said she was also a parent and could not even begin to fathom hurting her own flesh and blood.
“Disgusting. I have my own baby and I don’t know how someone does that to their own kid.”
Another neighbor, Dasean Tilson, revealed that she was not aware of the atrocity happening across the street. She added that Acevedo deserved to be locked up for a very long time if he was found guilty.
Alfonso Acevedo’s next court appearance is in June.
This is not the first time that a parent would be physically abusing an infant and leaving the child with broken bones. Kyle Rice allegedly left his 2-month-old daughter with more than 35 broken bones , per a report by People .
The 26-year-old foster father claimed he had grown frustrated with the baby crying. His arrest came just weeks after the stillborn baby was found with traces of marijuana in her system.
