SHENANDOAH - A borough man was jailed Friday and charged by Shenandoah police with assaulting and seriously injuring his 5-month-old daughter.
Gregory Reser, 21, of 513 W. Columbus St., was arrested by Capt. Michael O'Neill and charged with aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of a child, both felony offenses, as well as misdemeanor charges of simple assault and recklessly endangering another person.
Reser was arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Anthony J. Kilker, Shenandoah, and committed to Schuylkill County Prison, unable to post $100,000 straight cash bail.
O'Neill said the charges against Reser stem from an incident at his home about 9 a.m. Thursday.
He said police were contacted by Schuylkill County Children and Youth Services worker Heidi Eckart who reported Aubrey Reser had been flown from Schuylkill Medical Center-South Jackson Street to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest after suffering head trauma.
The captain said that he and Children & Youth Services caseworker Greg Koperna went to Lehigh Valley Hospital to meet with the child's parents, Gregory Reser and Emily Bell.
At the hospital, O'Neill said, Dr. Sabrina Logan reported that the child suffered some form of traumatic brain injuries that resulted in subdural hematomas, retinal hemorrhaging and more.
The doctor said the injuries were consistent with shaken baby syndrome, O'Neill said.
Both parents were interviewed separately, at which time Bell reported she had an amicable relationship with Reser but that he showed tendencies of both physical and verbal aggression.
The woman said Reser was generally calm but could become angry and agitated very quickly, detailing two incidents in the last two months when he became aggressive.
In one incident, the woman said that during an argument, Reser shoved her against a wall and in another incident, he became agitated after batteries went dead on their daughter's automatic swing.
In that case, O'Neill said, the woman reported the child began to cry and Reser pushed the swing very hard out of frustration.
During Reser's interview, O'Neill said, the man said Bell is not aggressive with children and leaves the room if she becomes upset. He denied any domestic violence in the home and when asked about the health of his daughter, indicated several times that the cause of her illness was viral and was unable to provide any other explanation.
On Friday, O'Neill said, Koperna reported receiving an emotional telephone call from Bell who said Reser was coming forth with more information about their daughter's injuries and arrangements were made to meet him at the Shenandoah police station.
Just after noon on Friday, O'Neill said Reser was read his Miranda Rights and agreed to speak about the incident.
During the interview, O'Neill said, the man said he recalled an incident just prior to his daughter becoming ill when he was watching television, bouncing the child in an infant bouncing chair.
O'Neill said the child began to cry, prompting Reser to bounce her faster and as the child continued to cry, he exerted greater force on the chair.
The force used by Reser was great enough to cause a separation between the child and the chair, causing her to hit her head on the floor through the mesh cradle, O'Neill said
At the end of the interview, O'Neill said, he spoke with doctors at Lehigh Valley Hospital who indicated that the mechanism of injuries was consistent to injuries the child is exhibiting.
The child remains a patient at Lehigh Valley Hospital, receiving treatment for the injuries she suffered, O'Neill said.
Reser will now have to appear for a preliminary hearing at 9 a.m. July 31 before Kilker in his Shenandoah courtroom.