David Paul Laroche Jr. has been arrested after telling police the bruises on a three-month-old baby were from ‘tickling her too hard’
A Florida nurse is facing charges of child abuse after telling authorities the bruises on his fiancée’s three-month-old baby girl were from ‘tickling her too hard’.
Police believe 22-year-old David Paul Laroche Jr., from Indian River County, is responsible for baby Isabella’s broken leg and bruised stomach.
They were called in to Indian River Medical Center on October 5 to investigate the child’s injuries, and arrested Laroche, who works there as a nurse, the next day, Vero News reported.
Isabella was taken to the emergency room by her mother Rebecca Gonzalez who said she ‘would not stop crying,’ but she didn’t know why.
She told authorities the only person around the child that day was her fiancé, Laroche, per the local news outlet.
Both her mother and Laroche were taken in for questioning.
Baby Isabella’s mother Rebecca Gonzalez took her to the emergency room, saying she wouldn’t stop crying but she didn’t know why, police said (both pictured with Laroche)
Isabella’s mother allegedly told police that the only person who had been with baby Isabella that day was her fiancé, Laroche (both pictured)
Besides telling authorities the baby’s bruising was due to tickling, Laroche allegedly offered many other explanations for the baby’s injuries.
He said that he and Gonzalez had been arguing over a past due bill, and he became agitated and accidentally dropped the baby on the floor when he went to pick her up from her crib, police said.
According to authorities, Laroche also said that Isabella wasn’t cooperating when being fed on October 3, so he became ‘aggravated’ and squeezed her thigh until she began to scream and cry.
Police say Laroche gave them several alternative explanations for the baby’s injuries, saying he became aggravated while feeding her and squeezed her thigh until she screamed
Baby Isabella’s leg injury was so severe that she was later moved to Nemours Children’s Hospital in Orlando, where she remains, according to Vero News
Because of the severity of her leg injury, Isabella was later moved to Nemours Children’s Hospital in Orlando.
He remains in jail under charges of felony aggravated child abuse with bail set at $200,000.
The baby girl is still being treated for her injuries in the hospital, according to Vero News.