Spokane man pleads not guilty to abusing baby daughter

An 18-year-old father pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges that he abused his infant daughter to the point that she was once diagnosed as brain dead.

Tyler L. Jamison, 18, faces a charge of first-degree assault that Spokane police previously said would be amended to murder charges should the 3-month-old girl die.

“He’s demonstrated … that he is in fact a danger to this community,” said Deputy Spokane County Prosecutor Sharon Hedlund, “especially to his own daughter.”

Jamison told a doctor on April 5 that something was wrong with his daughter, Skyelynn. But it was hours before Jamison took the girl to Providence Holy Family Hospital. The infant, who was in medical distress, was then rushed to Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center.

A nursing supervisor at Sacred Heart said he could not discuss Skyelynn’s condition, but family members have since reported the baby has shown signs of improvement.

Hedlund described how Jamison admitted pinching the girl’s windpipe shut during attempts to get her to stop crying. “After she stopped responding … he jabbed his finger against her chest to get her to breathe,” she said.

The girl also had several broken ribs in various stages of healing.

Jamison’s mother, Michelle Jamison, asked Superior Court Judge Ellen Kalama Clark to reduce her son’s bond from $200,000.

“I just know my son would be fine in the community and I would be there right next to him the whole time,” she said.

Clark agreed to reduce the bond to $100,000 but ordered Jamison to stay away from children if he is released.

Assistant Public Defender Jeffrey Compton added that Jamison has no criminal history before his arrest on April 7, which came after the girl’s mother’s family told police that Jamison intended to leave town to avoid charges.

Skyelynn’s mother, who attended the hearing, said she could not comment. But Jamison’s mother implicated her in some of the girl’s injuries.

“He’s not the only one who is guilty,” Michelle Jamison told The Spokesman-Review. “He’s a good kid.”