McClain County Man Accused Of Shaking 4-Month-Old Baby

A baby boy was shaken so badly he nearly lost his life, and his step father is sitting in the McClain County Jail accused in the crime.

Wednesday, Christopher Matthew Thomas turned himself in and the baby is in protective custody.

Nobody was home Wednesday afternoon, and police said neither was anyone to protect a 4-month-old baby boy, when his step father shook him so hard it nearly killed him.

“He had severe bleeding around the brain,” McClain County Sheriff's Office Detective David Thompkins said. “There was tearing in the retina area of the eyes.”

Doctors told investigators if the baby had gotten to the hospital just 30 minutes later, he may not have made it.

The baby lived in Wayne with his mother and sibling, along with Thomas and his two children. Police said the baby's mother left him alone with Thomas while she was gone.

“He called her and told her that one of the older children had pulled the baby off the bed and that it was having problems,” Thompkins said. “So she rushed home, got the baby and took him to the Purcell Hospital, and from the Purcell Hospital he was medi-flighted to Children's Hospital.

Detectives said they knew Thomas was not being honest about what happened after doctors said the baby's injuries weren't consistent with his story.

“The baby had to be violently shaken for him to have these injuries,” Thompkins said.

Court records state doctors said the injuries were "all signs of shaken baby syndrome" and "not consistent with a fall from a bed." Doctors also said the babies condition was "critical and life threatening."

The extent of the baby's injuries won't be known for a while, as it is hard to tell because of the baby's age. Doctors can't give children who are that young eye exams.

Thomas is charged with a felony count of child abuse.