Kent man charged with abusing infant twins
KENT, Wash. -- A Kent man accused of abusing his infant twins was charged Wednesday with two counts of assault of a child.
Prosecutors say 24-year-old Jason M. Dodd shook and squeezed both his young kids, who are less than 2-months old. He is also accused of injuring one of the babies by sticking his finger down the child's throat.
Officers first became aware of Dodd when he and the children's mother called 911 on November 1 to say one of their 7-week-old children was spitting up blood and gagging. Dodd first told doctors the baby was crying but wouldn't take a pacifier, so he tried to soothe the infant by putting a finger in his mouth.
Doctors at Seattle Children's Hospital noticed the child had a small abrasion and was bleeding from his posterior pharynx, which led to aspiration.
The boy was then transferred to Tacoma's Mary Bridge Hospital, where doctors said the injury was "probable inflicted trauma." Hospital officials contacted the police and told them it would take "excessive force" to cause the infant's injury, according to charging documents. Doctors said Dodd would have had to put at least three quarters of his finger into the boy's mouth to cause that type of abrasion.
Doctors further evaluated both twins and found the second child had acute rib fractures that "appeared to be the result of intentional trauma."
During a November 2 interview with Kent detectives, Dodd admitted to abusing both kids on multiple occassions, according to the court papers. He said the most recent incident happened after one of the twins began to cry. He said he tried to soothe the baby back to sleep by putting his finger in the boy's mouth, but it didn't work. He then put his finger further into the baby's mouth, down to the bottom of his knuckle, for roughly 5-6 seconds.
He told detectives he could feel the back of the child's throat, and when he pulled his finger out it was bloody. Prosecutors say he also admitted to shaking and squeezing both kids. He said he squeezed one of the kids so hard he "heard a pop."
He told detectives he lied about the throat injury because he didn't want to lose his family.
Dodd was arrested and charged with two counts of second degree assault of a child. His bail was set at $250,000.
Prosecutors say 24-year-old Jason M. Dodd shook and squeezed both his young kids, who are less than 2-months old. He is also accused of injuring one of the babies by sticking his finger down the child's throat.
Officers first became aware of Dodd when he and the children's mother called 911 on November 1 to say one of their 7-week-old children was spitting up blood and gagging. Dodd first told doctors the baby was crying but wouldn't take a pacifier, so he tried to soothe the infant by putting a finger in his mouth.
Doctors at Seattle Children's Hospital noticed the child had a small abrasion and was bleeding from his posterior pharynx, which led to aspiration.
The boy was then transferred to Tacoma's Mary Bridge Hospital, where doctors said the injury was "probable inflicted trauma." Hospital officials contacted the police and told them it would take "excessive force" to cause the infant's injury, according to charging documents. Doctors said Dodd would have had to put at least three quarters of his finger into the boy's mouth to cause that type of abrasion.
Doctors further evaluated both twins and found the second child had acute rib fractures that "appeared to be the result of intentional trauma."
During a November 2 interview with Kent detectives, Dodd admitted to abusing both kids on multiple occassions, according to the court papers. He said the most recent incident happened after one of the twins began to cry. He said he tried to soothe the baby back to sleep by putting his finger in the boy's mouth, but it didn't work. He then put his finger further into the baby's mouth, down to the bottom of his knuckle, for roughly 5-6 seconds.
He told detectives he could feel the back of the child's throat, and when he pulled his finger out it was bloody. Prosecutors say he also admitted to shaking and squeezing both kids. He said he squeezed one of the kids so hard he "heard a pop."
He told detectives he lied about the throat injury because he didn't want to lose his family.
Dodd was arrested and charged with two counts of second degree assault of a child. His bail was set at $250,000.
If Child "Protective" Services gives these babies back to this couple, it would be just as criminal as what has already happened to them. No excuses for this kind of abuse and the couple will never change....he's an animal, and she is just as guilty by letting it happen.Â
These kinds of charges always confuse me. How can you harm a baby........is the gene pool so shallow these days that common decency and common sense is so lacking...
Bail was set? Does this mean he's out with those poor helpless babies again? This makes me SICK. Next we will see he's killed them, then what? Do justice NOW, put this guy behind bars for good... or better yet, just get rid of the P.O.S., the worlds better off without trash like this guy. And I agree... lets see this guys picture! Maybe someone will put him in his place!!Â
Â
He lied because he did'nt want to lose his family. Uhhhhhh WHAAAAAAT?
Your actions will hopefully become the reason that you will absolutely lose your family!!!
Â
How can you refer to these sweet innocent babies as YOUR FAMILY??? You don't have a family you vile and evil man! Families consist of loving moms & dads who take care of their children, love them more than anything, and will always PROTECT them from harm.
Â
You have abused them on multiple occasions...you deserve to die in jail. Hopefully you will live a very long life behind bars, with no getting off for good behavior. Let the other inmates take GOOD care of you! We all know how they feel about child abusers....
Under the title of "abuse infant by father of the week" since it seems to happen every week now.
This is so upsetting, I am just going to hope that mom was working or something when this all happen. I hope she is not a victim of abuse by him herself and has the mind set that she needs to stay by his side and help him through this. I also pray that after what all the  baby's went through, they will not have lifetime problems from it. Their is NO EXCUSES for any of this. For all the mother friends and family out there, Please help her through this and be there always for her. She has to be a wreck thinking about her kids, the man she chose to have kids with doing this, doctors, and I am going to assume C.P.S. We have no idea what she went through prior and right now she needs some strength.
Myself a father of 9 month old twins, what is this fool thinking and doing? Dodd, you need classes in prenatal care, which hospitals provide. Your children are crying because they are hungry and/or require a diaper change!!! It only takes a couple of minutes to change a diaper, and feeding twins takes no more then 15-30 minutes!!!
Oops, that should be post and prenatal care that hospitals do provide. Sounds like the guy was to busy to attend, or could it be his attitude that's in the way of him becoming a father? The kid (not no father) is very lucky that he didn't asphyxiate the poor child. The mom needs keep their twins away from that monster of a dad, until the monster gets the proper assistance, guidance, and counseling! Sticking you fingers down a baby's throat is NOT how you stop them from crying!!! Dodd, the first two years of life are critical for the upbringing of your twins, because that's when your babies are building the mental foundation that will dictate his or her behavior through adulthood. Please, DO NOT nurture them to have a brain like yours!!!
Those poor babies!!! Dodd needs to be executed for this!!!!
Â
We need to make child abuse punishable by  death. Anyone who could hurt a baby doesn't deserve to live.Â
C'mon Komo, publish the creep's photo so that some good people on the streets will know who to look for when he gets out - he won't get another chance to hurt anyone.
What a douchebag. Does this idiot not know that babies cry for attention or that it is their way of communication? Why not take some parenting courses or get some counseling instead of taking it out on the babies. Please, make sure this criminal can never ever lay a hand on his kids again.
I don't know why I bother reading these articles. They just make me cry. Maybe it's the hormones (I have a 5 week old son, my hormones are still a little out of whack), but I just cannot imagine someone doing these horrible things to a little baby. Does the crying get to you? Yes, but you need to sometimes just leave the room and collect yourself. Babies cry, it's what they do. It is how they communicate. There is absolutely NO REASON a baby could ever deserve this.
"He told detectives he lied about the throat injury because he didn't want to lose his family."
Â
Seriously buddy? This is how you act when you DON'T want to lose your family?
I really, really hope he DOES lose his family!
just leave the room when you think you are about to loose it...Â