Waukesha father accused of abusing baby gets $1 million bond
WAUKESHA, Wis. - A Waukesha father is accused of physically abusing his 1-month-old son.
In court:
Prosecutors charged 21-year-old Taejon Rhodes with physical abuse of a child, first-degree reckless injury, and misdemeanor bail jumping. On Monday, a Waukesha County Court Commissioner set cash bond at $1 million.
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The backstory:
Just after midnight on July 9, Waukesha police went to an apartment on White Rock Avenue on a call about a baby not breathing. When officers arrived, they said Rhodes was kneeling over his 1-month-old son.
Police said the baby was turning grayish-white because he was not breathing properly. They also noted the baby had existing bruising around his left eye and "extreme swelling" on his face.
Taejon Rhodes
When police asked Rhodes what happened, he told them he was holding the infant in bed – scrolling on TikTok – when the baby twitched and rolled out of his arms onto the floor. In a search warrant obtained by FOX6 News, police measured the distance Rhodes said the baby fell to be roughly 36 inches.
Police did not believe the dad's story. The baby was in such bad shape, he had to be transported to Children's Wisconsin by a special unit for advanced care. Doctors told police the baby suffered a skull fracture, a brain bleed, bleeding along his spine, and bleeding in both kidneys. Investigators said those types of injuries are caused by direct force trauma – like a punch or a kick.
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What they're saying:
There was no answer when FOX6 News stopped by the apartment Thursday. A neighbor said off camera she was awake when all this happened and saw first responders arrive. She was shocked to learn of the criminal charges.
Portions of this article were formatted using A.I. FOX6’s Bret Lemoine and an editor reviewed it for accuracy and tone prior to publishing.
The Source: Information in this story was gathered from prosecutors, Waukesha police, a search warrant obtained by FOX6, Children's Wisconsin doctors, investigators, a Waukesha County court commissioner, and a neighbor.