Crime & Safety
Georgia Father Accused of Violently Shaking Infant Son
Kirk Lee Mitchell, 23, of Douglasville, is accused of child cruelty, sending baby son to Scottish Rite with severe injuries.
A Douglasville man is facing child cruelty charges for violently shaking his 5-week-old baby son, leaving him in critical condition at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite.
The AJC reports Kirk Lee Mitchell was arrested Tuesday and charged with first-degree child cruelty.
Douglas County Sheriff’s Capt. Bruce Ferguson told the AJC, “He admitted to this.”
Find out what's happening in Douglasvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
According to jail records, Mitchell, 23, is listed as a South Quail Drive resident. He is being held at the county jail without bond.
Mitchell lives with the son and the baby’s mother, but the two are not married, Ferguson said.
Find out what's happening in Douglasvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
According to the Douglas County Sentinel, Mitchell appeared before the Chief Magistrate Judge on Wednesday, when bail was denied.
The newspaper quoted Sheriff’s Office Investigator Jay Hayes as saying Mitchell “admits to violently shaking the child so hard that he popped his back while he was shaking the child.” Hayes said the child suffered broken ribs, fractured skull and subdural hemorrhaging.
The Sentinel reported Mitchell told the judge, “I just got mad. I never meant to hurt my son.”
Read more on this story here, including more of what Mitchell told the judge.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
