Gainesville Police arrested a mother and son after they brought a baby to the hospital with injuries more than a day old.
Kennith B. Morten, 23, of 4223 SW 20th Lane, was charged with aggravated child abuse and neglect after he allegedly broke his 4-month-old brother’s left arm and caused soft tissue swelling. Morten’s mother, Thurmina L. Mulberry, was also charged with neglect.
On March 21, Mulberry, 38, left Morten in charge of the baby when she went to work, according to police. Around 3:30 p.m., Morten called his mother and asked her to come home. There was something wrong with the baby, he said.
Morten later told officers he was playing with his brother around 11 a.m., tossing him in the air above his head when he accidentally dropped him. The baby fell about 5 feet before thumping on the tile floor, he said.
However, the baby’s injuries suggest something else happened. The fracture that the baby suffered is caused when the arm is bent like a “Z” or when it absorbs direct blows, according to police.
After Mulberry came home, neither she nor Morten took the baby to Shands at UF until about 8 p.m. the next day. When they did seek medical attention, Mulberry told Morten to say they took the baby to the hospital right after the injury.
Morten and Mulberry were held at the Alachua County Jail on Tuesday. Morten’s bail was set at $5,000, Mulberry’s at $2,500.
