Waukesha man charged with child abuse faces new child porn charges
Waukesha child abuse case, accused faces new charges
New details have emerged in the case against the Waukesha father accused of beating his 1-month-old son. Police looked through the dad's cell phone and charged him with new crimes.
WAUKESHA, Wis. - New details have emerged in the case against the Waukesha father accused of beating his 1-month-old son. Police looked through the dad's cell phone and charged him with new crimes.
Taejon Rhodes
New charges
What we know:
More than a dozen new charges were filed Wednesday against 21-year-old Taejon Rhodes. Police said they found child pornography on his cell phone. Investigators said the images involved a "4-year-old girl" and a video labeled "only toddlers."
Police looked in a hidden folder on Rhodes' iPhone. Investigators said they discovered videos of a 14-year-old girl having sexual intercourse with a man. Detectives said the man's tattoos match the ones on Rhodes' hand and forearm.
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Abuse charges
What we know:
No one answered when FOX6 News stopped by his Waukesha home Wednesday. Police were initially called there last month because of a baby struggling to breathe. Investigators noticed the 1-month-old had existing bruising around his left eye and extreme swelling on his face.
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, police said the distance from Rhodes' arm to the floor was roughly 36 inches. They did not believe the dad's story.
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.
Prosecutors charged Rhodes with physical abuse of a child, first degree reckless injury and misdemeanor bail jumping. He is already being held on $1 million cash bond.
New charges include 13 counts of possession of child pornography, sexual exploitation of a child, and 2nd degree sexual assault of a child.
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A neighbor told FOX6 News on Wednesday that the mother of the child moved out two days ago. Waukesha police said the baby is still in the hospital. FOX6 News also reached out to Rhodes' mother for comment. Rhodes is back in court next week.
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 the Waukesha Police Department, a search warrant obtained by FOX6, doctors, prosecutors, a neighbor and FOX6 News reporting.