A Douglas County father is accused of shaking and squeezing his 5-week-old baby boy, according to police.
The newborn, whose name was not released, was in critical condition Thursday at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite, Capt. Bruce Ferguson with the Douglas County Sheriff's Office said.
The infant's father, Kirk Lee Mitchell, was arrested late Tuesday and charged with first degree child cruelty, jail records show. Mitchell, 23, of Douglasville, was denied bond and remained Thursday in the Douglas County jail.
"He admited that he squeezed the baby and shook the baby so hard, it popped his own back," Ferguson told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "He admitted to this."
Mitchell lives with the baby's mother, but the two are not married, Ferguson said. The baby's mother called police after returning to the family's home and finding the newborn injured, police said.
The baby was transported to WellStar Cobb Hospital and then to Scottish Rite, Ferguson said.
Additional charges are possible in the case, investigators said.
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