OAKLAND COUNTY — A Springfield Township man was arraigned last week on charges of first-degree child abuse after allegedly causing near fatal injuries to his two-month-old son.
Daniel Charles Gracer, 31, is being held in the Oakland County Jail on a $1 million bond set at the 52-1st District Court in Novi by Magistrate Lewis Langham.
A conviction charge carries up to life in prison.
“Children are such a blessing and gift and it is hard for me to ever understand how someone can intentionally injure a child,” said Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard. “We look forward to this individual being held fully accountable.”
According to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, the incident occurred on Dec. 23 when deputies were called to a home in the 7000 block of Meadow Lane in Springfield Township after a report of an unresponsive infant.
It is alleged that the infant was in the sole care of Gracer at the time.
The sheriff’s office reports that the infant was taken to one hospital and then transferred to a second hospital because of the seriousness of the child’s head and brain trauma.
A child abuse specialist at the hospital determined the injuries were “non-accidental,” the report states. The specialist further concluded that the brain injury was due to the rapid acceleration and rapid deceleration consistent with being shaken. The trauma was allegedly near fatal and according to police, the child will likely have a severely delayed development.
Gracer was arrested last Friday by the Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Apprehension Team and is scheduled to appear in court for a probable cause conference on Feb. 18 in Clarkston. — Megan Kelley