'Boys don't cry': Dad seen screaming in infant's face, 'vigorously' shaking child in front of young siblings while mom was at work, authorities say

A 31-year-old antheral successful Florida is accused of severely abusing his 7-month-old lad for months, allegedly shaking the lad truthful hard that helium caused a near-fatal encephalon bleed.

Anthony Lamar Hester was arrested and charged with aggravated child abuse successful transportation with the injuries suffered by the boy, tribunal records show.

In tribunal documents, authorities allege that Hester "willfully tortured, maliciously punished, [and] knowingly oregon willfully committed kid abuse" that resulted successful large bodily harm to his son.

The probe into Hester began connected Feb. 20, erstwhile detectives responded to a location successful the 600 artifact of Harrison Place regarding a kid maltreatment probe aft the babe was admitted to Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children with a encephalon bleed, according to the probable origin affidavit.

Medical unit determined the kid had bilateral subdural hemorrhages — bleeding connected some sides of the encephalon — prompting a kid extortion services investigation. Doctors aboriginal concluded the injuries were accordant with abusive caput trauma caused by acceleration-deceleration forces, specified arsenic shaking.

As investigators began interviewing household members, a troubling signifier of carnal and affectional maltreatment allegedly emerged.

Two young witnesses successful the location — some children — independently described seeing Hester shingle the babe connected aggregate occasions. One kid demonstrated the question to detectives utilizing a stuffed animal.

"[The child] took the stuffed carnal and placed it supra her caput with her arms outstretched, shaking the stuffed carnal vigorously, causing the animal's caput to shingle backmost and forth," the affidavit states. "Additionally, [she] demonstrated bringing the stuffed carnal to her oculus level, screaming astatine the carnal 'why are you crying' portion shaking it the aforesaid arsenic documented above."

The kid said Hester "would go frustrated and shriek loudly, straight astatine [the victim]," demanding the babe halt crying and saying "boys don't cry."

Such behavior, the miss told authorities, would lone marque the babe outcry harder, and "at nary constituent did she ever observe [Hester] laughing arsenic if successful a playful manner."

Another kid likewise reported witnessing Hester prime the babe up and shingle him much than once, adding that helium would go aggravated erstwhile the babe cried and sometimes permission him unsocial successful a country to shriek for hours.

On Feb. 15, the kid began vomiting and aboriginal adust heaving, symptoms initially believed to beryllium related to look changes oregon illness. Despite a infirmary sojourn that day, imaging reportedly showed nary acute concerns astatine the time.

But implicit the adjacent respective days, the babe continued vomiting, became progressively fussy, and showed signs of distress. By Feb. 18, doctors ordered further imaging, which revealed caller bleeding connected the encephalon and a buildup of fluid, requiring contiguous surgical intervention.

Medical experts aboriginal noted that the kid had nary acute intracranial bleeding conscionable days earlier, making the abrupt quality of bilateral hemorrhages peculiarly concerning.

"Acceleration-deceleration forces is accordant with the injuries [the child] sustained," a Child Protection Team doc concluded aft reviewing the case.

Investigators besides identified a cardinal model of clip erstwhile the injuries apt occurred.

The child's parent told authorities that connected Feb. 15 — the aforesaid time symptoms began — Hester was the sole caregiver portion she was astatine work, providing what investigators described arsenic "a wide play of unsupervised contact."

While Hester and the child's parent initially attributed earlier symptoms to a insignificant incidental successful which the babe rolled implicit and bumped his caput connected a furniture frame, authorities determined that mentation was inconsistent with the severity of the injuries.

Further interviews uncovered further concerns astir Hester's behavior. Family members described a past of anger, dense intoxicant use, and past home violence. One pistillate told investigators Hester had antecedently strangled her and erstwhile discharged a firearm wrong a location portion attempting to show it was unloaded.

Detectives besides noted anterior instrumentality enforcement contacts involving intoxication, spot destruction, and erratic behavior.

The affidavit concludes that the totality of grounds — including witnesser statements, aesculapian findings, and the timeline of symptoms — supports that the infant's injuries were the effect of repeated carnal maltreatment portion successful Hester's care.

"The nonaccomplishment to question aesculapian care" was not the cardinal contented successful this case; rather, investigators emphasized the repeated acts of unit described by witnesses and corroborated by aesculapian evidence.

Hester is presently being held successful the Volusia County Jail without bond and is scheduled to look successful tribunal for his arraignment May 21.