4-month-old suffers skull fracture; mother’s boyfriend charged, Gastonia police say

GASTONIA, N.C. — A Gastonia man was charged with child abuse after his girlfriend’s baby suffered a skull fracture, police said.

Gastonia Police Department detectives charged Renaldo Demetrius Johnson, 35, with the alleged abuse of his girlfriend’s 4-month-old son.

Officers were called to CaroMont Regional Medical Hospital on Saturday after hospital staff reported what they thought was child abuse.

The infant’s mother was at work that day and left Johnson to care for the baby at their apartment on Osceola Street.

The mother got home from work and noticed bruises on the baby.

Johnson told her the baby fell off the couch, police said.

The mother immediately took the infant to CaroMont.

Staff members at the hospital told police officers that the baby had multiple bruises and a CT scan revealed a skull fracture, which was not consistent with what Johnson said.

The infant was immediately transferred to Atrium Health Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte for advanced care.

The mother told officers that Johnson was waiting in the car in the hospital’s parking lot.

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The officers went to talk to Johnson, but he gave them a fake name. However, he was still identified, and officers found out he had four open warrants for his arrest.

Johnson was arrested Sunday and taken to the Gaston County Jail, where he was charged with one count of felony physical child abuse.  He is being held on a $156,000 bond.

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