By Patti Weaver
(Stillwater, Okla.) — A young father, who admitted hurting his infant son, has been sentenced to four years in prison followed by six years of probation with extensive conditions including registering as a violent offender and providing a DNA sample, court records show.
Hayden Keith Howard, 21, of Stillwater, must complete an anger management course and attend parenting classes under the Aug. 23 order of District Judge Phillip Corley, who has retired.
Howard was charged with removing his then three-month-old baby from his crib and handling him in such a way as to cause the infant’s injuries to his brain and eyes on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving of 2023.
When Howard was asked how he felt during an interview on Dec. 6, 2023, the then-20-year-old father said, “horrible, he misses him, and he cannot see him,” Stillwater Police Detective Stephanie Wheeler wrote in an affidavit.
Asked if he disagreed that the injuries took place while the infant was with him, the baby’s father said, “I, I feel like it might’ve, yeah, and that scares me. Cause I don’t remember the whole story. I do remember getting angry and frustrated and not knowing and then being aggressive and I’m calling her (the baby’s mother at work) saying ‘I can’t get him to stop crying. I don’t know what to do,"” the affidavit said.
The detective wrote in her affidavit, “On Friday, Dec. 1, 2023, I was notified of a DHS referral. I was advised DHS responded Nov. 22, 2023, at 9:30 am for a dirty house,” in which the baby lived. The baby “appeared clean and cared for when DHS told the parents to clean the house, and she will be back for follow-up.
“DHS received a second referral on Nov. 30, 2023, concerning a bruise on (the infant’s) head. DHS responded to the home and found bruising on his head and cheek,” the affidavit said.
The mother “said she was holding the baby on Thanksgiving and hit his head on a door frame. Dad, Hayden Howard, said he was home alone with (the baby) on Tuesday. (The baby) would not stop crying so he aggressively ‘swooped’ him up. He called mom to come home from work to take care of the infant and she did,” the affidavit said.
The baby “was brought to SMC ER and separated from the father. A full body scan was done, which showed a subdural hematoma to the head and a possible healing femur fracture. The infant was transported to OU Children’s Center,” where surgery was performed due to fluid buildup on his brain, the affidavit said.
A Child Maltreatment Medical Evaluation by Dr. Mary Ellen Stockett indicated physical abuse/abusive head trauma, the affidavit said. “Examination indicated small bruises of his head, face and knee. Head CT and MRI indicated subdural and subarachnoid hematomas. Ophthalmology evaluation revealed numerous diffuse retinal hemorrhages of all layers of the retina of both eyes,” the affidavit said.
On Dec. 6, 2023, the baby’s father told the detective that he was watching the baby on Nov. 28, 2023, because the baby’s mother had to work, the affidavit said.
He said that the baby “had a crying fit and he could not calm him down, so he gets super frustrated. He believes he could have caused the injuries because he was being too aggressive but cannot remember exactly,” the affidavit said.
He said he called the baby’s mother and told her to come home because he could not get the baby to calm down, the affidavit said. The baby’s mother came home within a few minutes, got the baby calmed down, and then asked him about the marks on the baby’s head, the affidavit said.
The baby’s father “feels horrible because he felt like he did this. He knows that he was aggressive and then he was calling (the baby’s mother). He does not think anyone else did this. His mom takes good care of (the baby) and so does (her) parents,” the affidavit said.
Court records show that the baby is in the custody of his mother; DHS has been relieved from further supervision.
