Mentone man arrested for battering baby

A Mentone man was arrested after being accused of battering a baby who was eventually airlifted to a hospital in Fort Wayne. 

Kaiden Meade, 20, of Mentone faces charges of obstruction of justice, a Level 6 felony; and domestic bettery to a person less than 14 years of age, resulting in serious bodily injury, a Level 6 felony. 

According to court documents, the charges stemmed from an incident at the end of February. Kosciusko County Sheriff's deputies responded to a report of an injured baby. At the scene, they spoke with Meade, who claimed to have noticed the baby to be fussy and agitated an hour after being put to bed for the evening. 

Meade claimed when he went to console the child, he dropped the baby over the crib as he was picking the child up. Attempting to catch the child, Meade claimed he saw the baby's neck snap backward. 

Meade reported that the baby's eyes looked different, and that the child had also been moving its arms differently. 

An investigation was soon launched and investigators questioned the mother of the child, noticing a hole in the couple's bedroom door at the residence. The mother of the child denied that Meade had ever been aggressive to the child, but did admit to investigators that Meade had a bad temper, and, on occasion, was aggressive to others when angry.

The baby was taken to a nearby hospital. Medical staff soon advised that the child would need to be airlifted to a hospital in Fort Wayne to seek further treatment. 

It was later discovered the child had suffered a brain bleed, preretinal, intraretinal, and subretinal hemmorages, and a subdural hematoma. Law enforcement says at the hospital Meade changed his story. He then stated that he picked the child up from the crib and tripped over a baby gate that had been in the doorway. 

Court documents stated that investigators interviewed a responding EMT, who told of a different story about Meade's fall that caused the child's injuries. Riley Hospital's Child Protection Team's evaluation of the baby stated that the traumatic history offered to explain the injuries could not adequately explain the injuries. The child's diagnoses to the injuries was that it had been non-accidental, and inconsistent with the report Meade gave. 

Investigators soon learned that the child also had a prior unexplained facial injury that Meade claimed was from co-sleeping with the child. 

Meade was eventually booked at the Koscuisko County Jail on May 30. He currently has a $21,000 surety and cash bond.