Mother’s boyfriend arrested after causing toddler life-threatening injuries, police say
29-year-old accused of causing life-threatening head trauma to girlfriend’s child
BELTON, Texas (KWTX) — A man has been charged in connection with serious injuries to a toddler that doctors say are inconsistent with an accidental fall, according to court documents.
Police reported that Thomas Jonse, 29, was arrested after the 1-year-old boy was hospitalized with extensive skull fractures and brain injuries.
According to an arrest affidavit, Temple police were called to McLane Children’s Hospital on Dec. 14 after medical staff reported concerns about the child’s injuries.
A social worker told officers that Jonse, who was caring for the boy while his mother was away, initially said the child hit his head after falling off a bed during play fighting, court documents reported.
According to the affidavit, Jonse later changed his story, telling hospital staff the child was running on the bed when he fell onto a tile floor.
The child’s mother told police she had left her home in the 6000 block of East Business 190 that morning, leaving her son in Jonse’s care, according to police.
Court documents show the mother said Jonse called her to report the child had fallen and hit his head but was okay.
When the mother returned home, she found the child unresponsive and vomiting, police reported. She immediately took the boy to the hospital.
Upon further investigation, police found the bedroom floor was not tile as Jonse had claimed, according to authorities.
Court documents further show that medical records from McLane Children’s Hospital reveal the child suffered an extensive skull fracture extending from the back of his head through multiple bone sections, along with brain bleeding and tissue trauma.
According to the affidavit, a doctor reported the injury pattern was not consistent with a fall from a bed and was “highly concerning for non-accidental trauma/abusive head trauma.”
The hospital reported the child had a high probability of life-threatening deterioration due to his injuries, police confirmed.
Justice of the Peace Cliff Coleman set Jonse’s bonds at $250,000 for aggravated assault and $250,000 for injury to a child.
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