UPDATE: Father charged with homicide in death of infant son in Jefferson
JEFFERSON (WKOW) -- A man is charged with First Degree Reckless Homicide in the death of his five-month-old son in Jefferson County last week.
Terrance Curtis made his initial court appearance Tuesday afternoon and the judge set his bail at $500,000.
Court documents show a Milwaukee County Medical Examiner found the child died of blunt force trauma to the head. That medical examiner expressed the opinion the child's injuries could not have been caused on accident.
Medical examiners say the amount of force it would take to cause these injuries to a 5-month-old would be equal to dropping the child from a tall building or being involved in a car accident going 50-60 miles an hour.
Based on X-rays they believe the infant's head hit against a hard surface or wall more than once while in the care of Curtis. The infant's mother came home around 9:40 p.m. and found him unresponsive in his crib.
First responders arrived at the home on Little Prairie Road in Palmyra a few minutes later last Thursday, October 22. Court records show CPR was performed on the child for close to an hour, but the infant could not be revived.
Curtis is currently being held at the Jefferson County Jail and appeared in court Tuesday afternoon via teleconference.
"The charge is First Degree Reckless Homicide, which is a B Felony. The maximum penalty is 60 years in prison," Jefferson County Judge William Hue says during the court proceeding.
Curtis was in tears throughout the entire court proceeding. Court records show he was very emotional and crying when paramedics arrived at the scene back on October 22nd.
According to the complaint, Curtis told investigators that he had dropped the infant multiple times in the past. The most recent incident happened two weeks ago with the infant being dropped in the kitchen. He also told investigators that he recently dropped the infant in the driveway.
Assistant Jefferson County District Attorney Theresa Beck says Curtis has a previous Felony Assault conviction in 2013 in Texas. He also has four other priors including Burglary of a Vehicle and Unlawful Restraint. Beck argues that Curtis poses a serious flight risk, because of this lengthy criminal record. She was also concerned that he is not from Wisconsin and has few personal contacts in Jefferson County other than the mother of his deceased child.
Judge Hue agreed and decided to set bail at $500,000. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for next Thursday, November 5th.
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JEFFERSON (WKOW) -- A man is charged with First Degree Reckless Homicide in the death of his five-month-old son in Jefferson County last week.
Terrance Curtis made his initial court appearance Tuesday afternoon and the judge set his bail at $500,000.
Court documents show a Milwaukee County Medical Examiner found the child died of blunt force trauma to the head. That medical examiner expressed the opinion the child's injuries could not have been caused on accident.
First responders went to a home on Little Prairie Road in Palmyra around 9:45 p.m. last Thursday, October 22. Court records show CPR was performed on the child for close to an hour, but the infant could not be revived.