Borough woman charged with abusing infant

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NAUGATUCK — Police arrested a 19-year-old borough woman Thursday after they concluded she had shaken her 4-month-old son nearly to death.

A caretaker called 911 on Nov. 1 because the baby was unresponsive and had difficulty breathing, said Sgt. Randy Ireland of the Naugatuck Police Department. The mother, Alexandra Valentine of 933 Rubber Ave., was at work at the time, Ireland said.

A medical crew performed CPR on the baby, who was taken to Waterbury Hospital and then transported by helicopter to Hartford Children’s Medical Center, Ireland said. Doctors determined the baby had a brain bleed and a fractured leg, said Lt. Bryan Cammarata of the Naugatuck Police Department.

Hospital employees told police they suspected the baby had been abused. Officers questioned the baby’s caretakers and Valentine, who confessed she had shaken the baby a week earlier after she became frustrated with his crying, Ireland said.

Police did not determine how the baby’s leg was broken.

Valentine and the baby’s other caretakers did not notice anything wrong with him for about a week because he had pre-existing medical conditions, Cammarata said.

“There was no factor or indicator showing that there was something drastically wrong until he went unresponsive,” Cammarata said.

The baby is still in the hospital and his prognosis is unclear, Ireland said. He did not know whether the baby would have permanent brain damage.

“He’s doing better,” Ireland said. “At four months, they’re in the developmental state where it’s just hard to determine that.”

Valentine was charged with first-degree assault, first-degree reckless endangerment and risk of injury to a child. She was released on a $50,000 bond and scheduled to appear Friday in Waterbury Superior Court.