Father accused of striking infant diagnosed with severe head injury

A man is facing felony assault charges after he told Spokane County Sheriff’s deputies he struck a 25-day-old child in the head hard enough potentially cause brain damage.

Jase Burnett, 29, was arrested early Sunday morning after telling detectives he was responsible for striking his son twice in the forehead on Saturday, according to court documents. The boy is currently being treated at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center for bilateral subdural hematomas, a collection of blood outside of the brain, and possible brain injury.

Burnett’s girlfriend, also the boy’s mother, told deputies that on Friday night, the child was left in the care of Burnett while she slept, according to court documents. She said at about 3 or 4 a.m., Burnett woke her up and told her he was taking the boy to Sacred Heart for being fussy and possible constipation.

When Burnett returned later that morning, the woman noted the child was having seizures and wouldn’t eat, court documents state. The couple took the child back to Sacred Heart, where he was diagnosed with severe head injury.

Detectives interviewed Burnett, who initially denied striking the boy, but then confessed, according to court documents. He told them he fell on the child, and when he wouldn’t stop crying, struck him twice in the forehead “hard” with the back of his left hand.

Burnett’s first court appearance is Monday afternoon.