(Stillwater, Okla.) – In a case investigated by Cushing police, a baby’s mother, her boyfriend, and a male roommate have been charged in connection with the allegedly repeated abuse of her 6-month-old boy, who had numerous broken bones to his ribs, arm and leg, as well as bruising on his face and head, court records showed today.
Only the mother’s boyfriend, Clarence Vernon Hawkins, 28, of Pryor, was charged with abusing the baby by allegedly violently throwing him into a couch and play pen, as well as picking him up by his feet and allegedly throwing him across the room. Hawkins, for whom an arrest warrant was issued last week, was not in custody this morning, a Payne County Jail spokesman told KUSH.
The baby’s mother, Skye Nicole Guhl, 26, of Cushing, and one of her two roommates, Patrick W. Cummings, 20, were accused of enabling abuse by allegedly knowing that Hawkins had hurt the child, but failed to stop it or protect the baby and enabled the baby to remain in a situation in which he was abused, according to allegations in their charges.
An arrest warrant was issued last week for the baby’s mother, who was not in custody this morning, a Payne County Jail spokesman told KUSH.
Her roommate, Cummings, was arrested last week and released after posting $25,000 bail, court records show.
If convicted of their charges, the trio could each be given as much as a life prison sentence and a $5,000 fine, according to court documents filed last week.
The alleged abuse of the baby was uncovered after Cushing Police Officer Rachel Hentges was sent on Sept. 27 to a house in the 900 block of E. Walnut Street for a child welfare check, according to an affidavit filed with the charges last week.
“I made contact with four adults in the home,” the mother, her boyfriend, and two roommates including Cummings, the officer wrote in her affidavit.
The officer saw the baby, who had “bruising to his forehead and check, subconjuctival hemorrhages in both eyes, and he was extremely congested,” the affidavit said.
Guhl, Cummings, and a female roommate who was not charged, all reported “the child received the injuries from rolling off the couch onto a hardwood floor on Sept. 25, 2014, while in Cummings’ care,” the affidavit alleged.
The baby was taken on Sept. 27 to the Cushing hospital’s emergency room where Dr. Steven Treat reported light green bruising to the left side of the baby’s face and subconjuctival hemorrhaging in both eyes, as well as a bruise on his left abdomen, the affidavit said.
Following a skeletal survey, it was discovered that the baby “had multiple healing fractures, including right clavicle, right ribs 4, 5, 6, and 7, right tibia, left ribs 5, 6, and 9, and left radius,” which the doctor indicated were non-accidental trauma, according to allegations in the affidavit.
The baby was then placed into the custody of the state Department of Human Services and transferred to St. Francis Children’s Hospital in Tulsa, the affidavit said.
The baby’s mother “initially claimed to have no knowledge of how the injuries occurred except for the information provided to her by Cummings, when her son allegedly rolled off the couch,” the affidavit said.
She reported that all of the adults in the home were responsible for watching the baby and no one outside the home cared for him, the affidavit said.
The baby’s mother “later made admissions she had witnessed Hawkins physically abuse,” the baby by lifting him by the ribs with one hand and body slam him into the playpen in their bedroom, the affidavit alleged.
The baby’s mother said that Hawkins was frustrated because the baby would not stop crying, the affidavit alleged.
She admitted she was concerned that the baby “could have been injured badly by Hawkins because he whimpered when she picked him up,” the affidavit alleged.
“Despite her concern, she did not seek medical treatment for her child,” the affidavit alleged.
A female roommate, who was not charged, denied knowledge of what happened to the baby, but said that she suspected Hawkins was responsible for the injuries, the affidavit alleged.
The roommate said she had heard Hawkins yell at the baby to “shut up,” “quit being a p….,” and “quit being a t…. baby,” the affidavit alleged.
The female roommate said Hawkins often got frustrated with the baby and would scream at him, the affidavit alleged.
The male roommate, Cummings, who was charged with enabling child abuse, “initially denied knowledge of how the fractures occurred and denied causing the injuries,” the affidavit said.
Cummings initially recounted several incidents where he believed he heard Hawkins hurt the baby, “but claimed to not have seen an abusive event take place,” the affidavit said.
However, on Oct. 17, Cummings told the Cushing police officer that he had become frustrated with the baby and thrown hard a full bottle of formula at him, that struck the baby in the left upper chest, the affidavit alleged. Cummings said that the baby cried for about 15 minutes before going to sleep, the affidavit said.
Cummings said that he was alone with the baby when that incident occurred, the affidavit alleged.
“Cummings also admitted smoking marijuana with Hawkins on one occasion,” when the baby was in the room with them, the affidavit alleged.
In that Oct. 17 interview with the Cushing police officer, “Cummings also admitted he observed Hawkins purposely harm,” the baby, the affidavit alleged.
Cummings said that the first time he saw Hawkins abuse the baby was about three weeks before the law enforcement/DHS contact on Sept. 27, the affidavit alleged.
Cummings said that he saw Hawkins throw the baby into the wood frame corner of the couch, the affidavit alleged. Cummings reported that baby “flew back-first into the couch and began crying,” the affidavit alleged. Cummings reported he picked the baby up and comforted him, but did not tell anyone what happened, the affidavit alleged.
“Cummings described two more incidents in which he observed Hawkins abuse,” the baby, the affidavit alleged.
Cummings reported he watched Hawkins throw the baby into a playpen, the affidavit alleged. Cummings reported that the baby’s body flew into the playpen with his shoulders hitting first, followed by the rest of his body, the affidavit alleged.
“Cummings also admitted he watched Hawkins throw a metal marble or bearing,” at the baby that struck the baby in the leg or abdomen on the left side, the affidavit alleged.
“Cummings also reported he had seen Hawkins hold (the baby) upside down by the foot as he screamed, the affidavit alleged.
“According to Cummings, all events of abuse occurred after he returned home from work and while he and Hawkins were the only adults present in the house,” the affidavit alleged.
When Hawkins was interviewed by the Cushing police officer, he denied any involvement in causing the injuries or knowing how they occurred, the affidavit said.
Hawkins admitted that when the baby cried and he could not figure out why, he became angry, the affidavit alleged.
“During a recorded phone conversation between Guhl and Hawkins from Oct. 8, 2014, Hawkins told Guhl he could not take a polygraph examination because he could not pass it,” the affidavit alleged.
“Hawkins referenced a time he hurt (the baby) remarking, ‘Remember that one time I did hurt,” the baby, to which the baby’s mother responded ‘yeah,’” the affidavit alleged.
According to medical records from Utica Park Clinic Cushing Family Practice where the baby was seen by nurse-practitioner Bethany Jenkins, no fractures were detected on the baby when he was x-rayed on Aug. 11 and Aug. 25, the affidavit said.
On Sept. 11, it was reported by Jenkins that the baby was brought to an appointment for blood in his right eye, which Jenkins believed was the result of coughing and breathing complications associated with asthma, the affidavit said.
After the baby was transferred from the Cushing hospital to the Tulsa hospital on Sept. 27, Dr. Michael Baxter, the consulting physician from the Tulsa Justice Center, said that the baby had injuries from “multiple incidents of abuse,” the affidavit alleged.
The abuse allegedly occurred between Sept. 17 and Sept. 26, according to the charge.
Dr. Baxter believed that the bruises on the baby’s face and abdomen occurred between three and five days prior to examination, the affidavit said.
“Dr. Baxter reported the bruising on his left and right forehead and left mandible were not consistent with falling off of a couch, unless he had fallen on an object, which was not the history given by the caregivers,” the affidavit said.
Dr. Baxter reported that the baby had multiple bone fractures in various healing stages that likely occurred about two weeks, plus or minus five days, prior to the x-ray, the affidavit said.
“Dr. Baxter rejected the explanation that any of the fractures were sustained by falling off the couch, due to the fact the timeline was too short to account for the healing of the bones and the force needed to fracture the bones was not great enough,” the affidavit said.
Dr. Baxter said a fracture could have occurred when Cummings threw a bottle overhand and struck the baby in the clavicle area, but “it was more likely the injury was sustained by one of the abusive events committed by Hawkins,” the affidavit alleged.
“Based on the location of the rib fractures, Dr. Baxter reported it was possible the fractures were sustained during one of the events in which Hawkins threw (the baby) or body slammed him into the pack and play, but it was also very consistent with squeezing,” the affidavit alleged.
“Dr. Baxter reported the radius fracture was most likely caused by an individual grabbing (the baby) by the arm and yanking him upward, the affidavit said.
“I provided the history given by Cummings to Dr. Baxter regarding Hawkins hanging (the baby) by the feet as he screamed,” the officer wrote in her affidavit.
Dr. Baxter said “it was very possible the hanging could have caused the fracture,” which also could have occurred during one of the throwing or slamming events, the affidavit alleged.
Dr. Baxter said he believed that the bruises on the baby’s face and abdomen were also abusive injuries, the affidavit alleged.
Dr. Baxter noted that the medical records from the baby’s visit to the nurse-practitioner showed subconjuctival hemorrhages in the right eye, which he said can be caused by coughing, but can also be the result of blunt force trauma to the head, the affidavit alleged.
On Oct. 10 when a repeat skeletal survey was done on the baby, no additional fractures were located, the affidavit said.
“Since his removal from his mother’s custody on Sept. 27, 2014, (the baby) has sustained no further injuries, the affidavit said.
Throughout the investigation, the baby’s mother “was uncooperative and deceptive,” the affidavit alleged.
“Guhl was untruthful about Hawkins’ temper and capacity toward violence,” the affidavit alleged.
“When confronted, she admitted Hawkins was extremely violent and easily lost his temper,” the affidavit alleged.
“Not only did Guhl later admit to watching the abuse occur and doing nothing to stop it, she also did not seek medical treatment for her child after she saw Hawkins violently body slam (the baby) into a playpen,” the affidavit alleged.
“Furthermore, Guhl continued to allow Hawkins access,” to the baby, the affidavit alleged.
“The time period when Guhl was gone to Stillwater from Sept. 10, 2014, to Sept. 12, 2014, and when she briefly worked a part-time job from Sept. 15, 2014, to Sept. 16, 2014, (the baby) was left in the care of Hawkins,” the affidavit alleged.
“This was approximately two and a half to three weeks prior to discovery of the injuries.
“According to Dr. Baxter, the age of the fractures was approximately two weeks old. This is also the timeline provided by Cummings and Guhl, who observed Hawkins abuse,” the baby, the affidavit alleged.***
