Staff report
KANNAPOLIS ó The parents of an infant who suffered severe head trauma have been charged with felony child abuse.
Police said the infant may have suffered debilitating head injuries in the June 30 incident.
Kannapolis Police have charged David Burns Coley, 28, and April Michelle King, 24, both of 1110 Klondale Ave., with felony child abuse inflicting serious injury.
Klondale Avenue is on the east side of the city, running between Bethpage and Rogers Lake roads.
Coley is also charged with felony assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury.
The child was 2 months old when it was rushed to Carolinas Medical Center-NorthEast on June 30.
The parents told medical personnel they had dropped the child.
Capt. Chuck Adams said medical personnel determined that some of the infant’s injuries had occurred previously and had begun to heal.
Adams said the child was not injured from a fall but sustained blunt trauma to the head.
The infant was in the hospital for several weeks before being placed with a foster family.
“The child is doing better,” Adams said. “We don’t know if the head injury will be debilitating long-term.”
Police initially received a call about the infant’s injuries from Cabarrus EMS personnel and later got a call from the hospital.
Adams said the criminal investigation unit worked on the case for weeks and consulted with the Cabarrus County District Attorney’s Office before filing the charges.
Coley and King have no other children.
Adams declined to specify how police believe the injuries were inflicted.
He said the charge of assault with a deadly weapon relates to Coley’s physical size in relation to the child.
Coley posted a $25,000 bond. He was scheduled to appear in Cabarrus County District Court Monday.
King posted a $2,000 bond and was also scheduled to appear in court Monday.
Second investigation
Police have opened a new child abuse investigation not related to Coley and King.
A 2-year-old child was treated at Carolinas Medical Center-NorthEast for cigarette burns and bruises.
Police began the investigation Sunday.
A police log entry identified a 19-year-old man as a suspect.