Delontre James Austin

La Plata, MD – Police in Charles County have charged a Washington, DC man with child abuse, assault and neglect of a 5-month-old baby girl, according to documents on file in District Court. Authorities have identified the suspect as Delontre James Austin, 22. He is currently being held without bond. The incident allegedly occurred at an apartment in Waldorf during the early-morning hours of March 27.

According to court documents, emergency medical personnel were dispatched to the residence on Falcon Place. “The infant was diagnosed with a skull fracture with bleeding,” stated Detective E. Webster of the Charles County Sheriff’s Office. The baby was flown to Children’s National Hospital Center.

A report regarding the case from Daniel Brooks of the Children’s National Center in Washington, DC was submitted to the Charles County Department of Social Services. “The parents of the child were not able to provide an explanation of how the child’s injuries occurred,” Brooks stated.

Webster and another detective spoke with Austin at Children’s Hospital. During the course of the interview Austin admitted he became frustrated while trying to get the baby to stop crying. According to court documents, Austin admitted to the detectives that he “tossed” her into her “pack and play,” which resulted in head injury. Austin told the detectives he did not tell the baby’s mother or anyone else about tossing the child “because he didn’t want them turning on him and thinking he was a bad parent.”
It was approximately five hours after the alleged assault occurred that the baby’s maternal grandparents told their daughter she needed to call for an ambulance.

According to court documents, a doctor at Children’s told the detectives that the child sustained “complex bi-lateral fractures to both sides of her skull. The baby “has been diagnosed with diverse subdural hemorrhages consistent with blunt force trauma.” The doctor confirmed the injuries are life-threatening.

Austin, who was arrested March 30, has been charged with one count each of first-degree child abuse, second-degree child abuse, first-degree assault, second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and neglect of a minor. The Office of the Public Defender is representing Austin.

Contact Marty Madden at marty.madden@thebaynet.com