A teenager in West Virginia, who is a father, is facing charges of child abuse following a grandmother’s decision to present a video to the police. The video captures the teenager forcefully throwing a 4-month-old baby and covering the infant’s mouth with his hand.
Jeremiah Burkhammer, 19, was charged with child neglect creating risk of injury and strangulation, WDTV reported.
In the footage, Burkhammer can be seen around 2 a.m. on a Thursday, instructing the baby to sleep. When the baby tries to turn over, Burkhammer handles the child without proper head support, leading to an aggressive gesture as he places the baby back down, causing the infant’s head and neck to move violently back and forth, as stated in legal documents.
Moments later, the baby rolls over again, and Burkhammer expresses frustration, saying, “You’re making me very angry,” before grabbing the infant and tossing them onto a pillow.
Later, with the baby crying, Burkhammer yells, “Take the freaking bottle,” and slaps the child on the chest.
Then, to quiet the crying, Burkhammer is seen putting his hand over the baby’s mouth, telling the infant to “breath out your nose not your mouth,” as if a 4-month-old child can understand what he’s saying.
That incident lasted nearly 30 seconds as the baby’s muffled cries could be heard with arms and legs flailing.
The report did not say if the baby was checked out medically.
Burkhammer was given a $225,000 bond.
