Cody Wasley, 25, was arrested on a preliminary charge of child abuse 6:15 p.m. Sunday after his mother found his girlfriend’s child unresponsive and called police.
The child was taken to a Bloomington hospital and transported via helicopter to Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis for surgery.
The child, a 4-year-old boy, was found at 703 W. Gourley Pike with bruises on his face, shoulder, rib cage and back and a handprint on his leg, Bloomington Police Department Capt. Steve Kellams said.
The boy’s mother said he was not injured when she bathed him at 3:30 p.m. before going to work and leaving him in Wasley’s care, Kellams said.
Wasley denied striking the child and said he’d heard a smacking sound coming from the kitchen that indicated a fall. Wasley said the boy was having difficulty breathing and vomited.
Kellams said Wasley’s account is inconsistent with the child’s injuries, which BPD officers identified as typical in cases of abuse.
Wasley’s mother told BPD she arrived at the residence to find the child unconscious in his bed and was unable to wake him, so she removed him and called 911.
BPD arrested Wasley on a felony charge of abusing a child younger than 14 years old. He was booked at 1:18 a.m. Monday into the Monroe County Jail.
Cassie Heeke
