A Bristol Township father will be going to trial on charges he injured a baby so badly that the boy needed CPR and hospitalization.
Ryan Asan, 22, who has no fixed address, will proceed to trial in Dolyestown on charges of aggravated assault, simple assault and endangering the welfare of children. He had a preliminary hearing before District Judge Robert Wagner this week.
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Officers were initially called to the Marion Village Apartments on Marion Avenue, which is where Asan lives with his girlfriend and three children, at around 3:30 a.m. on October 14 for reports of an unresponsive child. Ambulance crews rushed the 3-month-old to St. Mary Medical Center, police said. The baby was later transferred to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia for further treatment.
During police interviews, Asan claimed he had no idea of how the child was injured, court documents state. In another conversation with police, he said a toy thrown by his 20-month-old son hit the baby in the head and may have caused the injury.
A pediatrician from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia examined the incident and said the injuries the 3-month-old sustained were “non-accidental trauma or child abuse,” court documents state. The doctor added that retinal hemorrhages found on the child were indicative of shaken baby syndrome, and added that a fall or hit from a toy could not have caused the trauma.
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A nurse working to help take care of the couple’s 20-month-old son, who needs medical care due to an undisclosed condition, told police the baby was crying and Asan grabbed a bottle and new diaper for the child at around 2 a.m., according to court papers. The father of three then went into the baby’s room and “appeared annoyed” that his girlfriend was not home.
The baby was heard crying by the nurse again about an hours later and Asan went back to the kitchen and got a bottle and clean diaper for the child and went in his room, the nurse told police.
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Then, the nurse said she heard the baby’s “loud” screaming “abruptly cease,” police said.
Asan then came out of the bedroom with the 3-month-old in his arms, the nurse told police. He said something was wrong and dial for emergency services as the nurse began CPR on the child until ambulance crews took over, police said.
The 22-year-old is said to have told police he did not believe the child his son. He claimed the biological father was another man.
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Asan’s girlfriend said during a phone chat before another person – the man who Asan claims is the 3-month-old’s biological father – in early 2013 he “angrily” admitted to intentionally causing the injuries to the child, police said.
In July, police said the boy was removed from the custody of his parents by a court order. The status of the boy is currently unclear.
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Asan remains free on $100,000 unsecured bail.
