PORT ANGELES — The Forks man charged in connection with an assault that sent a 4-month-old to Seattle Children’s is scheduled to be arraigned today in Clallam County Superior Court.
Elijah J. Tabor, 21, is facing one count of second-degree child assault with special allegations of vulnerable victim, position of trust and exceeds level of bodily harm. He was released from the Clallam County jail on April 2 after he posted $5,000 bail.
Second-degree child assault is a Class B felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison and/or a $20,000 fine plus fines and restitution. Special allegations can add up to an additional year each to a felony sentence.
Exceeds level of bodily harm is described in the Revised Code of Washington as when “the victim’s injuries substantially exceed the level of bodily harm necessary to satisfy the elements of the offense.”
The infant’s injuries included a brain bleed, a fractured femur and a fractured rib, the sheriff’s office said in a press release.
The infant is now home and recovering with its mother, although long-term implications of the injuries are unknown, Sheriff Brian King wrote in a Wednesday email.
The child was initially taken to Forks Community Hospital on March 23 and flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where emergency room doctors determined the child’s injuries were caused by non-accidental trauma, according to a press release from the sheriff’s office.
Court records stated Harborview staff determined the child was transferred to Seattle Children’s for seizures suspected to be caused by the brain bleed because the condition was beyond what Harborview could treat.
Child Protective Services contacted the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office on March 26 to investigate the suspected child abuse. At the request of Forks Police Department, sheriff’s detectives investigated and developed probable cause that Tabor had caused the child’s injuries, the press release said.
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Reporter Brian Gawley can be reached by email at brian.gawley@peninsuladailynews.com.