Ada Man Arrested For Abusing 1-Month-Old Baby

Ada police arrested a man who is accused of abusing his 1-month-old baby.

According to police, on Thursday, officers responded to Mercy Hospital of Ada after being contacted by the Oklahoma Department of Human Services Child Welfare Division. When officers arrived, they learned that a 1-month-old male infant was brought to the emergency room for excessive crying.

After a preliminary examination and an X-ray, doctors discovered that the infant had a broken femur and bruising to his face. The break was described as a “clean break” by medical personnel at Mercy. Both the biological mother and father were at the emergency room with the infant.

The father of the infant, Stephen B. Hawkins, told police he was sleeping with the baby in the bed Wednesday afternoon, and he may have rolled over on the baby while asleep. After consulting with the emergency room doctor, police said this explanation was ruled improbable.

Hawkins agreed to voluntarily accompany officers to the Ada Police Department for an interview. During this interview, Hawkins admitted he was angry with an older sibling to the infant who woke him up. A short time later the infant woke up crying. Due to lack of sleep and stress, Hawkins said he became aggressive when he was lying the baby down and raising his legs to change his diaper. He said the infant screamed a painful cry.

Hawkins said he thought the child had an upset stomach and wasn’t crying due to his handling of the child.

Hawkins was arrested on a child abuse complaint. He was booked into the Pontotoc County Justice Center on a $250,000.