A Marine accused of dropping and shaking his 3-month-old son at least three times, causing possible brain damage, pleaded not guilty Friday to three counts of child abuse.
Investigators said Cpl. James Charles, 29, repeatedly beat his infant son, Owen. Owen's mother, Megan Charles, said she took Owen to Children's Hospital because he didn't look well. Doctors reported the incident to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department, and detectives eventually arrested the baby's father.
The Poway resident was ordered held on $500,000 bail Friday. When asked to justify an unsuccessful request for bail of double that amount, Deputy District Attorney Nicole Cooper told Judge Kerry Wells that the defendant admitted to sheriff's detectives that he dropped or threw the child on more than 30 occasions.
Charles, who grew up in Georgia, has no criminal record and has been wrongly accused, defense attorney Vikas Bajaj said. Outside the courtroom, he told reporters the prosecution should have charged Charles with additional counts if they were going to make allegations in court that he had dropped or shaken the child 30 times.
Cooper called the child's injuries "significant" and said doctors don't know yet if he will have permanent brain damage or vision impairment. Bajaj said the baby had a pre-existing physical issue, which he said was an abnormal enlargement of the cranium.
The baby is out of the hospital and in foster care, Cooper said.
Bajaj said his client was proactive in getting medical treatment for his
son.
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"He has nothing but remorse for the injuries the child has suffered," Bajaj said outside court.
Charles is charged with three counts of child abuse, including one that alleges he caused great bodily injury. He faces 14 years and four months in prison if convicted. A bail review is scheduled for Wednesday.
