Indiana Man Violently Beats 9-Month-Old Son, Strangles Partner When She Attempts To Call Police

A man in Valparaiso, Indiana, was charged Monday for beating his infant son and the boy’s mother.

According to the incident report, the nine-month-old child’s mother returned home from work Saturday night and found the boy with a bruise on his throat. She then noticed dried blood under his nostrils. When confronted, the accused, identified as 24-year-old Dakota Grove, told the woman that the boy "must have fallen, but was unsure."

When changing the boy’s clothes, the woman noticed injuries to his rib cage. She also noticed hand markings on his back. The woman took photos of the injuries and confronted the boy’s father about it. The accused said he "must have grabbed the child too hard due to frustration.”

When the woman threatened to call the police, the accused snatched her phone and said he will kill her. The two then got into a verbal fight. The fight soon escalated and the man went to strike his partner and her son with an open hand. He also strangled the woman. The man then stayed awake the entire night to ensure that his partner doesn’t call the cops. The following morning, the woman managed to report the incident to the police.

On Monday morning, police forced their way into the man’s apartment after he didn’t answer the bell and found him on the bed. When questioned, the man denied the allegations saying “I did not hurt my kid.” He also said he didn’t abuse his partner.

When confronted about the injuries on the boy’s body, he "leaned back in his chair, smiled and stated that this was the second day he was dealing with this situation.”

The accused was taken into custody and charged with “battery resulting in bodily injury to a person under the age of 14, domestic battery committed in the presence of a child under the age of 16, strangulation and intimidation.” He remained in Porter County Jail without bond and was scheduled to appear in court Thursday.