A Vancouver man made his first appearance in court Tuesday on suspicion of assaulting his 3-month-old son, causing 15 rib fractures.
William Jeffrey Burleson, 36, faces one count of second-degree assault of a child and one count of third-degree assault of a child.
Julia Durr brought her 3-month-old son, JD, to a hospital out of concern that his ear was swelling, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in Clark County Superior Court.
Deputies responded to Randall Children’s Hospital at Legacy Emanuel in Portland and learned that JD had 15 rib fractures and a partial laceration on his liver, the document states.
Durr told authorities that she was worried that Burleson was too rough with JD, according to the affidavit.
A Clark County sheriff’s deputy interviewed Burleson, who said that he might have hugged JD tightly, but that if he hurt the boy, it was accidental, according to the document.
When the deputy pointed out that there were multiple injuries that occurred over a few weeks and that not all of them could be accidental, Burleson said “there are times when he’s tired and half-asleep and might not realize what he is doing,” according to the court document.
Durr had Burleson move out to live with other family in Puyallup, according to the record.
An arrest warrant was filed in Clark County on March 22 and was returned the next day.
Burleson appeared on the charges Tuesday, where his bail was set at $250,000. He is scheduled to be arraigned on April 4.
