News

Father, 19, charged with breaking baby's skull

Robert Jacob Patterson

By Bill Moss, Published: January 27, 2014

A 19-year-old Hendersonville man was charged with felony child abuse after his three-month-old son was hospitalized with a fractured skull and extensive bruises to his face, the sheriff's department said.

After a joint of investigation by the Henderson County Sheriff's Office Violent Crimes Unit and the Henderson County Department of Social Services, Robert Jacob Patterson was arrested late Friday on felony child abuse charges.

The injuries occurred on Jan. 20 when Patterson was watching the baby while the mother was at work. Patterson lived with the infant's mother and was engaged to be married at the time of the incident, the Sheriff's Department said in a news release.

After investigators consulted with a child specialist at Mission Hospital in Asheville they were informed the injuries were caused by child abuse. The child had a fractured skull and extensive bruising to the face and head. The injuries while very serious are not considered to be life threatening at this time, the news release said. Jailed at the Henderson County Detention Facility under a $40,000 bond, Patterson was scheduled for a appearance in court on Monday morning.