Newborn hospitalized with broken bones after mom lashes out at crying, NC cops say

A young mother is facing felony child abuse charges after she grew angry at her month-old baby’s crying and broke several of its bones, according to the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina.

Investigators say they learned of the injuries Jan. 29, after the child was taken to Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte by its mother, Brittany Hardin, 22, a release said.

A pediatrician at the hospital discovered the child had two fractured ribs and a fractured arm, the sheriff’s office said in a release.

Hospital staff grew suspicious when they found inconsistencies between the injuries and Hardin’s explanation of how they happened, according to the release. The baby’s name and gender were not revealed.

“Detectives questioned Hardin and at first she denied abusing the child, claiming that the injuries came from her rolling on top of the child’s arm while sleeping together on the couch,” sheriff’s office officials said in the release.

“However, further questioning led to her confessing to squeezing the child on one instance, and then jerking the child by the arm out of a crib on another, all because the infant was crying,” the release said.

Deputies arrested Hardin on Thursday at her home in China Grove and charged her “with two counts of felony child abuse inflicting serious injury,” the release said.

Bond was set at $25,000, officials said in the release.

“Detectives are continuing to work closely with the Department of Social Services, as well as attending physicians, to ensure the child remains safe and to determine whether or not additional charges need to be filed,” officials said in the release.

This story was originally published January 31, 2020 at 4:04 PM with the headline "Newborn hospitalized with broken bones after mom lashes out at crying, NC cops say."