EVERETT – A 6-week-old baby is clinging to life in a Seattle hospital, and her father is under arrest on investigation of assaulting her.
Brad Wgeishofski, 27, was booked into Snohomish County Jail Tuesday for investigation of second-degree assault of a child. He appeared Wednesday in Everett District Court, where bail was set at $100,000.
His daughter is in intensive care at Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center with life-threatening injuries, according to court documents.
Snohomish County sheriff’s detectives were called March 17 to Wgeishofski’s home in the 5600 block of 41st Drive SE after he told emergency dispatchers that his baby was not acting normally, court documents said.
The baby’s mother was at the home when the medics arrived. However, they became suspicious of the story the parents told them. Wgeishofski said he tripped on a phone cord while holding the baby and landed on top of her, court documents said.
A doctor told a social worker the child’s injuries were not accidental, court documents said.
The child had bruises on her forehead, but additional details about her injuries were not available.
Investigators removed the baby’s 3-year-old sister from the home, but a spokeswoman for the state Department of Social and Health Services said she couldn’t comment on the case.
According to court documents, this isn’t the first time Wgeishofski has been investigated for child abuse. Almost seven years ago, investigators in Minnesota questioned him in connection with the assault of his 1-month-old daughter, who suffered from multiple broken bones and head injuries.
Medical reports confirmed that those injuries weren’t accidental, but Wgeishofski was never charged with the assault, Crow Wing County sheriff’s investigator D.J. Downie said.
Wgeishofski agreed to terminate his parental rights, Downie said, and the child was later adopted.
“It was a sad story,” Downie said.
About two months ago, Downie said he began searching for Wgeishofski in hopes of alerting local police that he had been investigated for abusing his young daughter.
“It hit me that he could do it all over again,” Downie said.
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