Pawtucket dad arrested for abuse of 6-week-old infant

By Bianca Buono

bbuono@abc6.com

A father in Pawtucket was arrested for abusing his 6-week-old baby.

Police got a call from Hasbro Children’s Hospital Wednesday morning about a baby boy with injuries indicating abuse. The baby is still being treated at the hospital, but officials say they do expect him to be okay.

A fractured skull and serious internal injuries are just some of the laundry list of injuries that Richard Lord is accused of inflicting on his own child.

"He had indicated that he had thrown the baby approximately nine feet and the baby fell off the couch and hit a table. He indicated that he may have squeezed the child’s stomach area when he was frustrated," the prosecutor explained.

Police became involved when staff at Hasbro became suspicious about how 6-week-old Anthony Lord received the injuries he’d been brought in for.

When confronted by investigators about what happened to his son, police say Lord kept changing his story.

"One story indicated that the child fell off the couch, which is inconsistent with these injuries," the prosecutor added.

The 36-year-old father is now facing two counts of first degree child abuse.

Neighbors that spoke to ABC6 News who live near Lord in Pawtucket say they’re shocked that a father could do this to his own newborn son.

"You know they’re human too and you shouldn’t treat a child that way. Anyone that treats a child that way should honestly pay severely," says Mason Catallozzi.

The baby will undergo a skeletal survey two weeks from now, which will include MRI’s and CT scans so a more definitive cause of his injuries can be determined.

I court the prosecutor mentioned that the mother said she has never injured the child, nor has she ever seen Lord hurt him.

The charges he faces have a minimum sentence of ten years of Lord is convicted.

© WLNE-TV 2016