KALAMAZOO, Mich. — A Kalamazoo mother has been charged with second-degree child abuse weeks after a 2-month-old child was hospitalized with severe injuries.
The infant was checked into the hospital on May 23 after a series of abuse incidents that began April 1, court documents say.
The injuries prompted Child Protective Services (CPS) to file a report with the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety (KDPS), who says the injuries are potentially life threatening.
The father, identified as Paul Preston, has since been charged with five counts of first-degree child abuse, court records show. He reportedly confessed to injuring the child multiple times but claimed it was accidental.
A newly acquired probable cause affidavit states the mother, Norene Burkhead, initially told medical professionals she never witnessed Preston harming the child. She later told investigators she watched Preston shake the infant out of rage on one occasion, court documents say. We’re told she may have suspected a separate violent incident.
Burkhead reportedly admitted she lied to doctors over fears of losing the baby to CPS. She was arraigned Wednesday.
