Waukesha Man Accused of Severely Injuring 5-Month-Old Child

A Waukesha man is being held on $75,000 bail after he was accused of giving a 5-month-old baby three skull fractures and seven rib fractures during a two-week period, according to a criminal complaint filed Monday in

Alaba Oshogwemoh, 28, is charged with two counts of felony child abuse. One count  is for intentionally causing great bodily harm and the other is for recklessly causing great bodily harm.

Oshogwemoh faces a maximum of 55 years in prison if convicted of both charges.

According to the complaint:

Police were contacted Thursday after the baby was admitted to Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin with substantial injuries that did not appear accidental. The Waukesha County Human Services Department was notified about the trauma to the baby’s body.

The baby’s mother told investigators she had sought medical attention several times before Thursday because the baby was not holding down formula and was having “failure to thrive” issues. The baby was taken to Children’s Hospital on Nov. 10 and weighed 12.6 pounds but weighed 11.4 pounds on Thursday.

A doctor told detectives the baby had seven rib fractures, three skull fractures from blunt force trauma, numerous bruises, a ruptured blood vessel on the right eye, a possible cigarette burn on the chest and two lacerations on the baby’s liver.

Oshogwemoh, who was in a relationship with the baby’s mother, allegedly admitted to shaking and squeezing the baby, hitting the baby's head on the ceiling and the couch and wrapping the baby too tight in the blanket.

Oshogwemoh told investigators that he was frustrated by the baby’s crying. He also said he did not tell the baby’s mother about hitting the baby’s head on the ceiling. The ceiling incident was when he was “screwing” around with the baby and not out of frustration, he told police.

“The defendant stated that he knew what he did was wrong and that he was accepting full responsibility for the injuries to (the baby), but although he was responsibility on his part for how he handled (the baby) too roughly, there was no way he intentionally hurt (the baby),” the complaint states.