Dario L. Finkel, 26, of Salem was ordered held without bail yesterday on attempted murder and related charges after he reportedly stuffed a baby wipe into the mouth of his 7-week-old son to stop his crying, dropped the baby on the floor, and threw the baby at his mother, Jennifer Finkel, 23.
Finkel, a day-care center driver, entered no plea in Salem District Court at his arraignment yesterday. He has a restraining order that bars him from contacting his wife and son for one year.
Details of the Child Injury Incident
According to news reports, Finkel allegedly went into a rage between 7:30 and 8 pm on Tuesday due to his son’s crying. To stop the crying, Finkel shouted at him to “shut up’’ and shoved a baby wipe into his mouth, the Essex County assistant district attorney, Michelle DeCourcey said during the arraignment.
The baby’s mother removed the wipe and cooked dinner for her husband to calm him down. However, when the baby started crying again, Finkel allegedly walked to the couch where the baby lay, held the child in front of him, and dropped him about three feet to the floor, the police report said.
The baby’s mother picked him up and placed him back on the couch, but Finkel picked him up again and threw the baby at his wife from about four feet away, the report said. Jennifer Finkel caught the baby.
After her husband went to sleep, she left their apartment with her son and called police from a neighbor’s apartment.
EMS workers who responded to the 911 call noticed small bruises on the baby’s stomach and legs. The child’s upper lip was also swollen and bruised.
The infant was transported to North Shore Medical Center in Salem, where he remained yesterday, in the mother’s custody.
Charges in This Case
Finkel was arrested and charged with:
- one count of attempted murder,
- two counts of reckless endangerment of a child,
- one count of assault and battery on a child under 14 with injury, and
- one count of domestic assault and battery.
According to the authorities, if found guilty of his charges, Finkel could face substantial jail time.
According to Jennifer Finkel, her husband is not a bad man. She said he had never lashed out in a violent manner similar to the Tuesday night incident.
However, she had previously told police that her husband had thrown the infant at her at least once before.
Jennifer Finkel, a day-care teacher, is employed at Terri’s Little Pumpkins II Inc., a Medford day-care center. Dario Finkel works for TLP Transportation Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of Terri’s Little Pumpkins.
According to company officials, Finkel will likely get suspended from his job.
Child Abuse Statistics
More than 3 million children are abused in the U.S. every year, and these are just the reported cases. Who knows how many children still suffer injuries in silence.
A type of child abuse affecting infants and toddlers like the Finkel baby is violent shaking, usually in the hands of the baby’s father, also known as Shaken Baby Syndrome. SBS often leads to traumatic injuries, including head trauma, which can result in severe brain damage, coma, or even death.
If you suspect that your child’s injuries were the result of a violent shaking, you can file a child abuse lawsuit and a personal injury claim on behalf of your child.
Call 800-410-2769 to receive a Free legal consultation with a Boston child injury lawyer.
The call is free, but the advice may be priceless.
