Father’s Anger Over Missing Vape Led to Newborn’s Brain Injury: Police

A 20-year-old father in Ohio is accused of strangling his girlfriend and brutally beating his newborn son, leaving the infant with brain damage after getting angry that he could not find his vape device.

Hunter P. Dalton was taken into custody last week and charged with one count each of felonious assault, domestic violence by assault, and assault, records reviewed by Law&Crime show. Officers with the Whitehall Police Department at about 12:30 p.m. on Friday responded to a 911 call about a domestic incident at an apartment complex in the 4600 block of East Main Street, which is about 150 miles southwest of Cleveland.

The initial 911 call was placed by the child”s mother, who called while she and her dog were hiding from Dalton in the apartment building’s leasing office, telling the dispatcher that Dalton had just threatened to kill her and their 1-month-old baby, The Columbus Dispatch reported.

Upon arriving, police reportedly located the mother still in the leasing office while Dalton was outside of the couple’s apartment. Police immediately took Dalton into custody before entering the home, where they reportedly found the baby in his crib having difficulty breathing.

Emergency medical personnel transported the newborn to Nationwide Children’s Hospital, about six miles west of the apartment. At the hospital, the medical staff reportedly told authorities that the newborn was suffering from bleeding in the brain as well as brain damage. He is expected to survive his injuries.

In an interview with police, the mother claimed that in addition to that day’s alleged assault, Dalton had also strangled her the previous day, Columbus ABC affiliate WSYX reported.

Speaking about the morning of the assault, the mother reportedly said that Dalton became angry when he woke up and could not find his vaping device. The mother said Dalton grew angrier when she would not help him look for the device because she was taking care of their infant, and when he saw that the family dog had chewed some tissues in the home.

In response, Dalton allegedly threw his girlfriend to the ground, kicked their dog, threw a fan across the room, and threatened to kill the mother and child.

Dalton’s girlfriend reportedly said Dalton’s “anger issues” had been exacerbated by the arrival of the infant and described him as being “overwhelmed” and easily irritated.

In his interview with investigators, Dalton reportedly denied harming the child, claiming all he did was move the baby from his bouncy seat to the crib.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the young child who was the victim of this horrific act,” Whitehall Chief Deputy of Police Shawn Wilson told WSYX. “We remain hopeful for his full recovery and ask the community to join us in supporting him and his family during this difficult time. We also want to commend the outstanding work of our patrol and detective divisions, whose response to this case was marked by professionalism, compassion, and a steadfast commitment to justice. This is an ongoing investigation and we will provide updates as necessary.”

Dalton is currently being held in the Franklin County Correction Center in lieu of $1 million bond. Should he be released, he is prohibited from making threats, possessing a firearm, consuming alcohol, or having contact with the victims, records show.

Dalton is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 29 for his arraignment.