Jeremiah Burkhammer (West Virginia Division Corrections and Rehabilitation).
A West Virginia man was accused of child neglect after he was caught on video treating his 4-month-old baby in an “aggressive manner.”
Jeremiah Burkhammer, 19, was arrested by Upshur County police after the Sheriff’s Office was alerted to a video that allegedly showed him abusing his infant. The baby’s grandmother brought the video to the attention of the Upshur County Sheriff’s Office on Feb. 13, according to a criminal complaint obtained by local news outlet The Inter-Mountain. The complaint stated that Burkhammer was allegedly seen mistreating the baby while trying to get them to go back to sleep.
According to the complaint, Burkhammer’s “aggressive” behavior toward the baby allegedly took place over a course of several minutes beginning at 1:45 a.m. After telling the baby to go back to sleep, Burkhammer allegedly picked the infant up improperly — without supporting the baby’s head or neck — and put the baby down in an “aggressive manner causing the victim’s head/neck to rock back and forth violently.”
About a minute later, the baby rolled over onto the pillow and Burkhammer allegedly yanked the pillow away, saying, “You’re p—ing me the f— off.” Burkhammer then allegedly picked the baby up again, only to throw the infant back down onto the pillow.
The complaint stated that about 17 minutes after that, Burkhammer can allegedly be heard yelling “take the freaking bottle” at the baby, who was reportedly crying. The video also showed Burkhammer smacking the baby on the chest while the baby cried. Burkhammer then allegedly covered the baby’s mouth with his hand and told the 4-month-old to “Breathe out your nose, not your mouth” while keeping his hand over the baby’s mouth for 28 seconds. According to the complaint, the baby can be seen flailing and heard crying.
Burkhammer was charged with one count of gross neglect of child creating a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury and one count of strangulation, suffocation, or asphyxiation. He was booked into the Tygart Valley Regional Jail and held on $225,000 bond. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Feb. 21.
