Father sentenced to 6 years in prison after admitting he dumped his young son to stop his crying

A Washington man pleaded guilty and was sentenced to six years in prison after throwing his young son hard enough to cause brain trauma and other injuries.

Police in Vancouver, Washington, were contacted May 31 after 32-year-old Wesley Palmer and his baby’s mother took the then 2-month-old child to the emergency room at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center, The Columbian said.

In a probable cause affidavit, a doctor said the infant was not breathing and was having a seizure, so he was transferred to Randall Children’s Hospital in Portland.

After examining the baby’s CT scan, doctors found that he had a fractured skull and multiple cerebral hemorrhages, old and new. His eyes were bleeding too, and there were bruises on his abdomen. In the court records, a doctor said the injuries “were compatible with abusive head trauma”.

On Wednesday, Assistant Prosecutor Erik Podorah said the baby had stayed in the Portland Hospital for a week and then had to be hospitalized again about two weeks later.

Palmer pleaded guilty in the Clark County Superior Court of attempted assault on a first degree child, The Columbian reported. According to court records, Palmer told investigators the baby broke on Jan.

Palmer said the baby then passed out, after which he called the baby’s mother to take it to the emergency room.

The Colombian report said Palmer cried in court when the mother – who held the now 9-month-old child – told the judge that “her son’s whole bright future was torn from him” because of the effects of his brain trauma likely to have development on him. She said her “hopes and dreams” for him had changed, all she wanted now was to see him run or hear him say “Mama”.

Washington man Wesley Palmer pleaded guilty to attempted assault on a first degree child after throwing his young son hard enough to cause brain trauma and other injuries. Above a judge’s gavel.
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The baby’s mother told police she went to work around 10 a.m. on May 30 and, according to an affidavit, left him in Palmer’s care. About 10 minutes later, Palmer called her, she returned home and saw Palmer holding the baby’s limp body, she said.

Palmer told investigators that he was frustrated with the baby’s crying and demonstrated on a doll how he was tossing him onto a changing mat, according to court records.

Palmer apologized and said, “I should have protected my son and now I feel like I have to protect him from me.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A Washington man admitted to throwing his young son on a changing table so hard that he fractured his skull and had cerebral hemorrhage. Above, picture of an infant.
Didier Pallages / AFP via Getty Images