EAGLE MOUNTAIN, Utah — A man was booked into jail for child abuse after his 2-year-old stepson arrived at a hospital with serious injuries that included bruising over his whole body.
According to a statement of probable cause, an officer responded to Primary Children’s Hospital early Wednesday morning on a report of serious physical abuse.
The officer says he observed a 2-year-old boy who, “was covered head to toe in very dark purple bruises…Bruising was seen on the child’s cheeks, chin, forehead, and even bruising on the inside and outside of his ears.”
Other injuries made it appear as if the child had been grabbed “and his arm put under extreme pressure.”
The family reported the boy had fallen down some stairs, however, medical staff were, “convinced the bruising was consistent with severe abuse and not consistent with a fall down the stairs,” according to the PC statement.
The boy’s stepfather, 26-year-old Alec Marshall Blair of Sandy, told police he put the boy down for a nap and when the child awoke he then fell down the stairs. Blair was the only one at home at the time, and photos provided by the boy’s mother showed the child was not injured the day prior to the incident.
The boy’s mother said when she left for work Monday the child was crying and Alec said: “If you throw up on me I am going to choke you.” She said the boy seemed fearful of Blair the last few weeks and said Tuesday “daddy Alec smacked my face.”
Police said the boy’s injuries are not consistent with Blair’s account and the injuries could only have happened during the time the boy was alone with Blair. Blair was booked into the Utah County Jail and faces one count of child abuse resulting in serious physical injury as a second-degree felony.
