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Dad sentenced for severe shaking

Baby was 2 months old at time of injury; full impact unknown

Graeme Alexander, right, sits with his attorney Chase Mallory as a sentence is imposed Wednesday in Common Pleas Court Judge Mark Kerenyi’s courtroom. ERIN O’NEILL The Marietta Times

A Belpre man who shook and seriously injured his infant son was sentenced Wednesday to four years in prison.

Graeme Philip Alexander, 27, of 814 Leonard Ave., was arrested and charged with child endangering, a second-degree felony, June 13 after his 2-month-old son was flown to Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus. The minimum sentence possible was two years and the maximum was eight. He will be transported to Orient Correctional Reception Center after which it will be determined in which facility he will serve his time.

“Mr. Alexander likes to blame other people for his (actions), including his own mother,” said Washington County Assistant Prosecutor Amy Graham. “I would ask the court to remember that (the child) will turn 1 year old next week. His life has been severely traumatized and we still don’t know the extent of the injuries he may have.”

The child’s mother did not appear in court. Washington County Children Services appeared on her behalf; the child is

currently in their custody.

Graham said that Alexander will be eligible for judicial release after two years.

According to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office report, detectives met with Alexander, who stated that on June 7 he had laid his child in the crib to sleep and had also gone to sleep himself, which was around 6 a.m. Alexander further stated he was awakened by the child crying at around 8 a.m. and tried to get the child to stop. Alexander said he was bouncing the baby in his arms and that he shook the baby so hard he quit crying. He said the child began choking, had labored breathing and was turning blue so he drove to the emergency room.

Alexander, who had confessed and was out on $100,000 bond, was represented by attorney Chase Mallory, of Columbus.

“Obviously what happened to (the child) should not have happened,” Mallory said. “We do think it is important to note that Graeme had a rough childhood. He suffers from depression. Also, he and the (child’s) mother were living different lives, working different schedules. He was exhausted and had a lot on his plate…before he knew what he really did, it happened. But this is where he deserves some credit — as soon as it happened, he realized what happened. He called a relative immediately to try to get help for the child.”

A second charge of tampering with evidence was dismissed. The sheriff’s office initially reported that Alexander said on July 15 that it had been his mother who had shaken his child. He provided text messages on his phone that allegedly were from his mother admitting to hurting his baby from the morning of July 15. But when detectives met with Alexander’s mother, Kelly Alexander, she reportedly disputed her son’s claim.

Officials believed that the text messages were falsified because Kelly told the detectives her son had the passcode to her phone.

Shortly after Graeme was arrested, his father, Philip Lee Alexander, of 60 Wagon Wheel Trail, Mills River, N.C., was also arrested after allegedly making derogatory comments and online threats against the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and employees of Marietta Memorial Hospital.

Graeme Alexander, whom Mallory noted had no prior criminal record, spoke briefly on his own behalf Wednesday.

“All I have to say is, I love my child very, very much,” he said. “At the time, I wasn’t aware that what I did would have hurt him…I love both of my children very much and I only ever wanted what was best for them.”

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