A North Country family is coming to grips with a terrible tragedy, after a 15-month-old boy suffered a critical head injury on Monday. The boy's father has been arrested, as the family tells us that the child is being taken off life support. Matt Hunter has the latest.
To view our videos, you need to
enable JavaScript. Learn how.
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.
Then come back here and refresh the page.
GLENS FALLS, N.Y. – On Monday evening, Glens Falls police said officers responded to a frantic 911 call from 3 Orville Street, where a 15-month-old boy had reportedly gone into cardiac arrest.
"The child was laying on the floor and they started working on the child right away,” said Glens Falls Police Captain Robert Ash. “After interviewing the father, we found out he had apparently tossed the child on the couch and the child fell off the couch and hit its head on the floor. That's whet he told us."
Police said the boy's father, Gary Lee Waite, 28, told them he grew frustrated with the child because he wouldn't stop crying.
The 15-month-old was taken to Glens Falls Hospital, then airlifted to Albany Medical Center with a serious head injury.
Waite was immediately arrested and charged with second-degree assault and taken to the Warren County Jail.
"He was getting frustrated with the child crying and apparently, you know, that's when he tossed the child,” Ash said. “We recommend if you're getting to that point where you're frustrated, to reach out to a friend or family member to assist you."
On Tuesday afternoon, family members told YNN the boy's name is Jesse James Smith. They said he underwent surgery, but given the severity of his injuries, he was being taken off life support.
Neither Glens Falls police nor the Warren County District Attorney's Office could confirm that as of late afternoon.
"Right now he's looking at a felony charge, which is serious. That charge could increase depending on the condition of the child, if it deteriorates or not," Ash said.
While law enforcement awaits news on the child's condition, Waite remains in custody with bail set at $100,000.