What are your thoughts on this article?

Question

WARNING: The following article may make you extremely angry and possibly make you sick to your stomach. If you feel you cannot handle that, do not read on.

COLOMA TOWNSHIP — A 6-week-old girl is hospitalized with multiple fractures and her father has been arrested after police say he confessed to injuring her.

Jason Scott Ward, 34, of Coloma, has been charged with first degree child abuse and faces up to 15 years in prison.

Officers were called to the Watervliet Emergency Room on Saturday around noon, where they learned the girl was transferred to a Kalamazoo hospital in critical condition.

The girl had a fractured skull, two broken ribs, a broken and dislocated right arm near the elbow, a broken leg, a broken finger, a broken toe, and numerous bruises on her body.

Using a search warrant, police went to Ward's home and recovered evidence. Ward confessed to a state police detective after being questioned at the Coloma Township Police Department.

The baby is recovering after undergoing surgery to repair her arm. She is currently listed in fair condition.

She has been taken into protective custody by Child Protective Services pending a hearing to determine parental rights.

Two questions for you:

1. Where do you think the mother was (or is)?

2. What sort of punishment do you think he deserves?

Answer 1

So sad!!!  Who knows where her mom was.  I'd like to give him an eye for an eye and then some.  Grrrr!  Stuff like this is just impossible for me to comprehend, I'm speechless.

Answer 2

Well, they're looking for the mother.  It's horrifying what I'm reading now that the baby has had the broken leg for 2 weeks.  And he gave her vicadin... *shudders*

I don't know if there's a punishment suitable.  He deserves to never see that little one ever again, that's for sure.

Update:

A Coloma Township man is facing charges after police say he confessed to severely injuring his 6 week-old daughter. Officers were called to the home of 34 year-old Jason Scott Ward on Saturday to find the baby girl with a fractured skull, broken ribs, a broken and dislocated arm, broken toes, a broken leg, and several bruises. Ward's charged with first degree child abuse, as well as delivery of a controlled substance. Coloma Police say that hospital doctors told them it looked as though the baby�s leg had been broken for at least two weeks prior to the additional incident on Saturday...and Ward admitted to giving the girl a crushed-up Vicodin pill in a bottle to make her stop crying from that injury. The baby girl is in fair condition at a Kalamazoo hospital after undergoing surgery on Sunday. Ward was araigned Monday, and bond was set at 200-thousand dollars. It�s not clear where the baby�s mother is, and Child Protecive Services is investigating, along with police.

Answer 3

This just brakes my heart! that poor sweet innocent baby! what kind of monster could ever do that? i think that man should be let out of jail. And we should be allowed to do as we please with scum like that! it just sickens me that a human could do that to an innocent baby that can't do anything to protect them selves and then they get a 'free ride' in jail. He doesn't have to worry about bills or a job or food our tax money pays for that monsters ADL's. what a crock!

who knows or cares where the mother was? For a man to do that to a child, he must have been really f.'d up with lots of warning signs and she still chose to mate with him and leave her poor baby alone with him. God that is horrible! Situations like this make me sick to my stomach. I just don't understand how anyone could do that?

If i had a 'Free' 10 min with a scab like that I would......... Oh god I am so mad I would make him wish for 9 of them that he never lived,

Answer 4

1. doesnt matter, she obviously didnt care enough to protect her child and therefore should have all rights to the child eliminated.

2. put him in prison - for life - with a bunch of brutes who hate paedophiles and baby abusers and an inmate who wishes to use him as his girlfriend too, let them deliver the justice

Answer 5

yeah i heard that on the news the other day. it made me cry. the mother?  who knows, maybe she was drunk, at work, sleeping...

that guy deserves way more than 15 years. crimes involving a child should be automatic life with no parole. Or give me 15 minutes alone with him...

Answer 6

That makes me want to cry.  How could ANYONE do that to an infant, especially a parent?  Sick world.

1.  Who knows.... Maybe at work, maybe she had a legitimate excuse to not be there....  Probably not, but it's possible.

2.  Punishment?  Beat his butt to a bloody pulp, then send him to jail and tell the other prisoners what he did.  He'll get his.

Answer 7

I can't believe how many people do NOT deserve to be parents. There was a story in my hometown one time about a parent using their 4 MONTH old as a bat and hitting the other parent. (I dont remember which one was which). Then there was another one that threw his child against the wall because she was crying because she needed a diaper change and he wanted to sleep...she ended up wandering outside in the FREEZING cold--got lost & tired and layed down in the snow & died.

Sorry to bring up such sad stories but I just don't see how people can do things like this. I'm, starting to think that you do need a license to become a parent.

About your article---who KNOWS where the mother was. MAYBE she was working or maybe she's one of those mothers who doesn't care. As for him--he definately should be charged. Lock him up & throw away the key.

EDIT: He crushed up a vicodin pill?? That could've KILLED her!! What a friggin' idiot.

I know someone who'se child died frm a pill overdose---its all hush hush and they say that she died from a "rare condition that gave her a heart attack" Ya, a 16 month old died from a naturally cause heart attack---ya f'n right!!

Answer 8

Ugh.  I don't even know what to say.

1)  Hard to say.  This could have been the first incident, or it could have happened in the past, but the mother was too afraid of "losing her man" to speak up.  If the exams show past injuries, then the mother should be brought up on charges as well.

2)  The worst kind of punishment they can come up with, which unfortunately isn't much in most states.  Castration comes to mind, but I am sure civil liberties groups would take issue with that.

Answer 9

1. I'd also like to know where the mother was/is, but who knows.  Did all these injuries happen in 1 incident or was it over the past few weeks.

2. I don't think punishment is the answer.  I know it can be hard to feel sympathy for a child abuser, but it seems that there's most likely issues with mental illness in this case.  It sounds like a father who was extremely stressed and did not have coping skills and he snapped and did a horrible thing.  I think the "punishment" should be that he no longer has any contact with this child.  I wish there was a way to ensure this man cannot father anymore kids.  I don't think putting him in jail for 15 years is going to help him, the child, or society.  I think it's important to remember when you think about punishment, is that it's unlikely that he INTENDED to harm this baby.  When you look at violent crimes, you need to look at intent, motive, pre-meditation, this man most likely wasn't thinking clearly, didn't have any of those things, just snapped.

It's a tragic, heart breaking story, but I think you have to go deeper than just simply "he's a bad man, let's lock him up"

Answer 10

1. Mother is obviously not around....

2. I hope someone lets it be known why he's in jail, and that he gets a very big cell-mate (Bubba!) who doesn't like child abusers.