Radcliff man charged with assaulting 1-month-old son

RADCLIFF, KY (WAVE) - A Radcliff man has been charged with assault after his 1-month-old son ended up in the hospital with a fractured skull.

Radcliff Police arrested Justin Owens, 22, Saturday morning and charged him with first-degree assault and domestic violence.

According to a police report, officers responded to Hardin Memorial Hospital in Elizabethtown to investigate an incident of possible criminal child abuse. Owens initially told hospital staff that he woke up at 5 a.m. to feed his son and dropped him after tripping on his way to the bathroom.

More From WAVE3.com
+ Weight Ruck Marchers bear reflects veterans who take their own lives
+ Suspect arrested in Jeffersonville union hall vandalism
+ Attorney not surprised by jury's verdict to find hot dog vendor not guilty

In addition to a fractured skull, the infant also had swelling and bleeding on his brain and head trauma.

When questioned by police, however, Owens changed his story, saying that "he'd lost his temper and deliberately struck the infant on his head," and then "placed his open hand over the child's face to keep him from crying/screaming," according to the report.

Two other children, ages 3 and 5, were in the house at the time of the incident.

Copyright 2016 WAVE 3 News. All rights reserved.