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<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Thursday, November 12, 2009 Everett boy left with brain damage; father faces charges By Diana Hefley, Herald Writer EVERETT — When the 4-month-old baby came to the hospital, doctors believed he was nearly dead. He had bruising on his brain, a ruptured bowel, internal bleeding, broken ribs, a lacerated liver, a fractured skull, bruises and what appeared to be a bite mark. All of those injuries weren't accidental, doctors concluded. Prosecutors this week charged the boy's father with second-degree assault of a child. Tyrus Jackson, 21, of Everett, is accused of abusing his son so severely that the boy was left profoundly brain damaged and blind. The boy can't eat on his own and must be fed through a feeding tube, Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Chris Dickinson wrote in charging documents. He will be 2 in January. Authorities were alerted to the abuse in May 2008, when Jackson and the boy's grandmother brought the infant into the emergency room at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett. Jackson allegedly told authorities he woke up from a nap and found his son limp, motionless and turning purple, Dickinson wrote. The doctors quickly assessed that the boy's condition was dire. He was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Medical staff there determined that some of the boy's injuries were new and others appeared to be older. They concluded the boy had been abused. Detectives interviewed the boy's mother. She told investigators that she was carrying the boy the night before and fell down some stairs, Dickinson wrote. She said that the boy didn't appear to be injured from the fall. A doctor told investigators that a fall as described by the boy's mother wouldn't have led to the near fatal injuries they discovered, Dickinson wrote. Detectives interviewed Jackson. He stayed home with the boy while the infant's mother worked long hours outside the home, court papers said. He initially denied abusing his son, Dickinson wrote. Detectives interviewed him again in April. They said Jackson changed his story. He told detectives that the boy had been crying and fussy, according to court papers. He said his son “wouldn't listen to him,” Dickinson wrote. He told police that he chastised the boy by poking him in the chest. He also allegedly told them he picked up the boy and shook and squeezed him. In court papers, Dickinson said the abuse was aggravated because Jackson knew that the boy was particularly vulnerable and couldn't defend himself. Jackson has four prior convictions for assault. He also is a defendant in a pending drug charge, Dickinson wrote. The boy's grandparents are in the process of adopting him. READER COMMENTS Log in or register to post new comment | Log out (No heading) Does anyone know if CPS had any warning that this child was in danger? Shelley Burlile | Nov 14, 2009 1:24 pm | 1 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal Updates I do want to say that I do appreciate everyone's opinions. I would agree that Tyrus needs to pay for his crime. Please understand that As much as I would love to sit here and bash him, I need to not say anything that will hinder this case. The little boy in this case is going to be 2 in Jan. as the article states. This happened to him when he was just over 3 months. He has pulled through, He will NEVER be "normal" He does have severe brain trauma, he can not see like a normal child can, BUT, lets just focus on the things he CAN DO. He can smile, giggle, recognize his family and friends, play with hanging toys, enjoys much love and attention, and is very loving. There is more, but it's not for here. With the love and care from his family and friends, This little boy has come a long way. One day at a time and one moment at a time. So as much as we appreciate the readers comments, Please understand that we are not looking for any bashing. We just want Justice. G C | Nov 13, 2009 8:30 am | 1 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal Pray for this life I realize this is very upsetting for allot of people to hear about such abuse within our community. We can talk about justice, we can talk about the DSHS system, we can talk about how this could have been prevented and much more. However, at the moment this child is fighting for its life. We need to be praying for this little boy. My heart pours out to this child. We need to be praying that this precious life can pull through. We need to be praying for a miracle that this life can be restored to full healing. That the damage caused can be reversed. I pray for full healing. Physically and emotionally. Fred Tibbits | Nov 13, 2009 6:52 am | 0 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal Another failure with DSHS And, here we go again. I guess this state and the yeahoos running DSHS will continue to bury their heads in the sand and continue to be sued and continue to pay out millions of dollars because they can't seem to get it together or get it right. When is the DSHS system going to start putting two and two together (i.e. four priors for assault and a defendant in a drug case) and come up with a process to protect our most valuable and vulnerable assets? How many more of our children are going to die or become permanently disabled before the state gets the message? These are our children and our future. But, it seems, DSHS will never get the message or just doesn't care. Richard Thomas | Nov 12, 2009 1:30 pm | 1 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal (No heading) The mother supposedly fell down the stairs with the baby, but didn't take him to a doctor to get him checked out? It is pretty obvious that she was covering for superdad. She should be facing charges as well for child endangerment at the very least. If she knew that the father was abusing that child and did nothing to protect or remove him from the situation, then she is every bit as responsible as "dad of the year"! The 4-month old baby wouldn't listen to him?? WHAT? This pair should be prosecuted to the full extent possible! Too bad public stonings are frowned upon these days. As far as DSHS goes, I did not see anywhere in the article that they had been previously contacted about this guy. They can only do thier jobs if they are alerted to a situation, they are not mind readers. The grandma should only get to adopt this poor child if there is a lifetime ban on contact with the parents! Michael Duffy | Nov 12, 2009 11:37 pm | 0 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal Understanding I understand where you all are coming from, but to make accusations towards DSHS, isn't the answer. I know that some folks have a bad taste in their mouths because of past issues with DSHS. In this case I know for a fact, that this case took just a bit over a year start to finish. I am thankful that the prosecutor is charging him for this crime. This little boy has a long journey ahead of him. Sounds like his grandparents care very much for him. I just want to see Justice done. I did find out he is having another child. I believe that something should be done in that matter as well. G C | Nov 12, 2009 10:20 pm | 0 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal (No heading) I agree with the community stepping in and helping our children. But what happens when the parents don't want our help? How could a neighbor or the community have prevented this baby from being abused? What could any of us done to prevent this? The mother of this baby must have known that this man had a temper. How could she leave the baby with him? I can only imagine the guilt she must live with now. We need the legislatures to change the laws. IF you abuse a child, you go away for a very long time. None of this second degree assult crap. I hope that one day, children will be made a priority in our state. What a dream! Ella mae | Nov 12, 2009 8:19 pm | 0 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal WE THE PEOPLE.... You see someone miss handle a child? It is your DUTY as a human being to stand up and protect them. This does not occur overnight! It is an on-going event that only stops when a baby dies or is badly injured and needs medical attention. Connie Moore | Nov 12, 2009 3:54 pm | 0 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal Assault? Why not attempted murder? He has FOUR other convictions...will he now get 3 strikes??? we voted for people like this to be locked up for life and unable to hurt anyone else, we didnt vote to have petty robbery 2 offenders spending our money for non violent offenses...for LIFE! Lets get this straightened out! Moira O'Crotty | Nov 12, 2009 1:11 pm | 0 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal Savage Thats all this guy is, hes a savage. He knows nothing more than a prehuman exhistance. This is not his first act of violence and until he gets to prison he will still pretend to be a tough guy. Watch out for him though. He will fool the people who know him. He will have plenty of time lift weights and to convert to Muslim and claim a new path in life. HOG WASH!!! He will always be a violent predator. Please do society a favore and send him to the pits of prison where he can have the "prison justice system" try and convict him. Mike Flavin | Nov 12, 2009 11:34 am | 0 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal (No heading) I agree with Mr. Sams. It should not be the responsibility of DSHS of keeping our children safe. It is a parents responsiblity to keep their own children safe. It is also the responsibility of those parents family and friends to help support the people that do have children to ensure their safety. It amazes me how fast people point the finger at DSHS. Sometimes it is justified but alot of the time it is not. It is the same as parents expecting teachers to raise their children at school. This behavior in our society needs to stop. We as a community must be held accountable and we must step up to the plate to make change. So many people talk about what needs to change and whose responsibility it is to make those change but EVERYONE needs to be willing to take chanches and MAKE the changes necessary to better our community. It is easy to talk about change but very few are actually willing to work and make the change. We as a society need to get our acts together and rather than saying we are a community where we support our neighbor it would be great if we actually did it. With the holidays coming up it would be great if everyone would make an effort to change in some way to help our families and children in our community. Yvonne Ito | Nov 12, 2009 10:30 am | 0 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal DSHS can't do it all Believe me, you don't want the government telling you how to raise your children. It is tragic when people abuse their kids like Mr. Jackson and his wife did. The most you can do now is punish them for their crimes. Certainly DSHS should review their policies concerning previously reported abuses. But don't put all the blame on them, forcing them to interfere further in people's lives. You will regret it. The problem is much larger than simply a bully abusing a child or making DSHS responsible. Maybe some of you can take some of your anger and transfer it into gentle assistance to your neighbors when you see a potential abuse. All this yelling after the fact helps no one. Certainly not this poor child left blind and brain damaged. Let your outrage allow you to be helpful to others. Mike Sams | Nov 12, 2009 9:31 am | 0 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal another child abused It is time to put a stop to child abuse. We need to let our legislatures and the governor know that child abusers need to be held accountable for their actions. DSHS needs to be held accountable for not keeping our children safe when they have reports that a child is being abused or neglected. Animals that have been abused or neglected are removed immediately from the abuser. The abuser does not get another chance. So, why do we allow adults to abuse our children? This poor baby was almost killed at the age of 4 months. Why does the abuser get such a light sentence? Makes no sense to me! Ella mae | Nov 12, 2009 8:51 am | 0 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal (No heading) second degree assault? why not attempted murder charges? i simply cannot understand our laws and how poorly they are written or applied to the crimes committed. there are those incarcerated for far less than i'm sure this loser will get. Barbara Gust | Nov 12, 2009 8:34 am | 0 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal Monsters This precious baby was FOUR MONTHS old when this inhuman monster beat this baby so horribly and of course, it could NOT have been the first time. Why has it taken so long to bring charges? Here's yet another case of a so called mother defending the very person who attacked the precious baby God gave her to protect and love. Both make me sick! Why is she facing no charges?? It will be better for these "parents" to have a millstone hung around their necks and drowned in the depths of the sea. This is what Jesus said should happen to those who harm little ones. Grandma was a hero as far as I can see. Yes, I noted that neither miscreant brought their baby to the hospital, it was his grandma. Why US | Nov 12, 2009 7:18 am | 0 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal Mother? They also need to charge the mother for something. She was lying for him. That boy needs to be locked up forever blinded. Bill Proctor | Nov 12, 2009 7:17 am | 0 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal sick Life in prison is too generous for this scum. Once convicted by a jury of his peers, he should be sentenced to death. R N | Nov 12, 2009 6:58 am | 0 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal (No heading) Anyone who so heinously abuses, rapes or murders a child deserves only one of two sentences upon conviction. Life in prison w/out parole, or the death penalty...to match the conditions under which their victims survive or have had their lives snuffed out. I believe the latter is what this puke deserves. Society must stop making excuses for such heinous acts and must make people fully accountable for their actions. CC At the Big B | Nov 12, 2009 6:50 am | 0 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal piece of crap low life scum this jackson character someone show him how it feels when he gets to the inside - they don't like child abusers where he is going rita stanwood | Nov 12, 2009 6:43 am | 0 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal lock him up for life... . as far as i am concerned, people who abuse people/children are no different than people who sexually abuse people or children. They need to be removed from society, & tracked (if released), never to have full rights granted to the rest of us. Why does it take "sex abuse" for us to remove bad-*** people from society? Is not beating the crap out of a 2-yr-old, or even a 20-yr-old just as horrible? Why wait for them to have sex with them? I don't get it. Violence is violence & needs to be banished if we expect to survive as a species. cme everett | Nov 12, 2009 3:21 am | 0 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal

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