ELYRIA — A 22-year-old Elyria man has been indicted after his 9½-week-old daughter suffered brain trauma as a result of physical abuse.

Jack McDougal was charged with felonious assault and two counts of endangering children for injuries to to the baby that were found Sept. 7 when she was taken to MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland. A MetroHealth spokewoman said the baby no longer is a patient, but she could not provide additional information.

McDougal told police that he had fallen with the girl, but county Prosecutor Dennis Will said a medical examination showed the injuries were deliberately caused.

McDougal

An Elyria police report, which notes that the injuries occurred a day later than was listed in the indictment, stated the infant was treated for injuries associated with shaken baby syndrome.

There also was evidence, Will said, that the child had suffered abuse prior to her hospital stay. McDougal told police that those injuries, too, were accidental.

Will said that McDougal had been caring for his daughter at his Park Meadow Drive apartment while her mother — McDougal’s girlfriend — was at work on the day the injuries occurred. He could not provide any additional details, nor were any available Wednesday night from the Elyria Police Department, which investigated the baby’s injuries.

McDougal has previous convictions for theft, receiving stolen property and forgery from two 2005 cases and had been on probation for those charges, according to county Common Pleas Court records.

The new charges violate the terms of his probation, and a hearing has been set for December on those charges, according to court records.

Zachary Simonoff, who represents McDougal on the probation violation, said that before his arrest in September, his client had been successful at complying with the probation terms.

“He’s a nice kid. He was doing well on probation,” Simonoff said, adding that he isn’t representing McDougal in the new case.
McDougal also has a previous conviction for possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia in Elyria Municipal Court.

The baby’s mother no longer lives at the address included in the police report, and the report does not provide her name. Neighbors said she moved about a month ago, and the apartment manager said she left no forwarding address.

Contact Brad Dicken at 329-7147 or bdicken@chroniclet.com.

Contact Jason Hawk at 653-6264 or jhawk@chroniclet.com.

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