NEW CASTLE —
A New Castle man faces aggravated assault and other charges after police alleged he seriously injured his two infant daughters.
One of the girls, now 7 months old, may have suffered permanent brain damage, police said.
Accused is Christopher Kozura, 21, of 1111 Booker Drive.
According to documents filed in the office of District Judge Melissa Amodie, the investigation of Kozura began after one of his daughters was taken to Jameson Hospital for a medical issue Aug. 11.
According to police, the girl, then 4 months old, was taken to the hospital because she was having breathing problems. Doctors performed a CAT scan and discovered a subdermal hematoma on the infant’s brain.
She was then taken by helicopter to Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh.
At the time, officers interviewed family members, including Kozura, about the injury. Kozura told police he had left the infant on a bed at a home on Pin Oak Drive to get her a water bottle. When he returned, he said he found her on the floor crying.
Kozura then said he went to a neighbor’s home to call 911 and the girl was transported by ambulance to Jameson.
As a result of this incident, an investigator for Children and Youth Services took Kozura’s other daughter, a twin, to Pittsburgh for a medical exam. There, doctors found a skull fracture deemed to be an old injury.
Later in August, police again interviewed Kozura and asked more questions about the Aug. 11 incident. They also asked about the skull fracture found during the examination of his other daughter.
Police said Kozura described an incident where he fell asleep with the girl in his arms. When he awoke, he said, he discovered she had fallen onto a diaper bag.
When asked to give a written statement about the incidents, police said, Kozura refused, stating he had to talk to his attorney.
Police also said that during the interview, Kozura never referred to his daughters by name. And several times, he referred to one girl or the other as “it.”
In September, officers spoke with doctors in Pittsburgh who examined the girls. They rejected Kozura’s explanation of a skull fracture attributable to a fall onto a diaper bag. The said the injury was caused by a hard blow to the head, and was the result of abuse by shaking the infant.
Further medical reports indicated the girl taken to the hospital Aug. 11 may have suffered permanent damage, according to police.
As a result of the injuries, police charged Kozura with two counts each of aggravated assault, simple assault and recklessly endangering another person. A preliminary hearing has not yet been scheduled.
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