Washington man arrested on charges he abused 6-month-old daughter
A Washington man was arrested Tuesday, a day after he was charged with abusing his 6-month-old daughter, causing a lacerated liver, fractured ribs and two broken legs.
Randy Hughes, 38, was arraigned late in the morning before District Judge Robert Redlinger on charges of aggravated assault and child endangerment. Redlinger set Hughes’ bail at $100,000.
City Detective Dan Rush filed charges against Hughes a day earlier.
The child’s mother told police she first wanted to have the baby medically evaluated June 23 when she came home from work and Hughes, who’d been caring for the infant and four other children, told her she had fallen out of a bed when he left her unattended.
He said he’d seen another child, a 4-year-old, run from the room, according to court papers.
The mother reportedly told police the baby was “‘fussy, but consolable.” Hughes agreed to keep an eye on the baby to make sure she was OK.
During the next few days, the mother told police she had “very little physical interaction” with her, according to court records. On June 26, when she noticed “extensive bruising” on the baby’s torso, she took her to the hospital. When she did, Hughes allegedly said he was “going to jail,” according to the criminal complaint.
A doctor at UPMC Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh said the injuries were indicative of physical abuse and not from a supposed fall.
The untreated injuries included fractures in nine ribs and both legs, plus the liver laceration, which caused adrenal hemorrhaging. Hughes was last in contact with the family June 27, the day the baby was released from the hospital.
The mother spoke to police after a Washington County Children and Youth Services caseworker told police about the hospital physicians’ preliminary findings.
Rush said multiple attempts to contact Hughes to interview him about the alleged abuse before filing charges were unsuccessful. Washington police did not return calls Tuesday seeking information on where and how Hughes was located.
Court records do not list an attorney for Hughes.