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Inset: Timothy L. Ferrebee (WVDCR). Background: The hospital where his daughter had to be put into a medically-induced coma due to severe injuries (Google Maps).
A 41-year-old father in West Virginia is accused of causing significant damage to the internal organs of his 3-month-old daughter, when he allegedly decided to vent his “frustrations” after a long day by “squeezing the infant.” Timothy L. Ferrebee was taken into custody on Saturday and charged with one count of child abuse by a parent, guardian, or custodian, and one count of strangulation, suffocation, or asphyxiation, court records reviewed by Law&Crime show.
Jerri Ferrebee, 36, who is Timothy Ferrebee’s ex-wife and current girlfriend, was also arrested and charged with one count of child neglect resulting in injury and one count of failure to report. She is reportedly not the child’s biological mother.
Troopers with the West Virginia State Police Clay County Division on Saturday, responded to a call from Summersville Regional Medical Center regarding an injured infant, West Virginia MetroNews reported. Due to the severity of the baby’s condition, she was transported to Ruby Memorial Children’s Hospital in Morgantown where she could receive specialized pediatric care.
The infant reportedly suffered internal damage to both of her lungs and had air trapped in her thoracic cavity that required immediate surgery. Additionally, the victim had bruising and a laceration on her esophagus that also required surgery. Ultimately, the victim had to be placed in a medically-induced coma.
The victim’s biological mother reportedly brought her daughter to the hospital immediately after a custody exchange with Timothy and Jerri Ferrebee. Troopers swiftly responded to the Ferrebee’s home and placed Timothy Ferrebee under arrest.
According to a report from Charleston, West Virginia, ABC affiliate WCHS, Timothy Ferrebee initially denied know the provenance of his daughter’s injuries, claiming he had asked his girlfriend about them the previous evening.
“Timothy was initially adamant that the bruises on the infant’s body were not from him,” a criminal complaint reportedly states.
However, upon further questioning, he allegedly began indicating that he might be responsible for inflicting his daughter with the injuries, reportedly saying that he “squeezed” the baby because he was trying to “relieve it of built-up feces.”
Pressed further, Timothy Ferrebee allegedly admitted that he was “frustrated” from working all day and being subjected to a “verbal assault” from his girlfriend, which he took out on his newborn.
“Timothy consistently stated he was not frustrated with the infant, instead stating that the infant was just what happened to be in front of him while he was venting those frustrations in the form of squeezing the infant,” the complaint reportedly said.
The attack reportedly happened while Jerri Ferrebee was out of the house for about 40 minutes getting soda, Oak Hill West Virginia ABC affiliate WOAY reported. She said she came home and noticed “busted capillaries in the form of red marks on the infant’s stomach,” but did not report anything or seek medical help.
Authorities noted that Jerri Ferrebee was employed as a special needs educator aid with the Clay County School District, which meant she had a mandatory duty to report any kind of physical abuse on a child.
“Due to Ms. Ferrebee’s lack of response in identifying the marks on the 3-month-old infant’s body and reporting it to the appropriate authorities, Ms. Ferrebee is charged with gross child neglect resulting in serious bodily injury to the infant,” the complaint states. “This charge is the direct result of Ms. Ferrebee’s failure to act for approximately eight hours as the infant was experiencing prolonged loss or impairment of its bodily organs.”
Timothy Ferrebee is currently being held in Central Regional Jail on bond of $100,000. Jerri Ferrebee is being held in lieu of a $55,000 cash-only bond.
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