WINONA LAKE — A Winona Lake man was recently arrested after an infant suffered serious injuries while under his care. Medical professionals found the infant suffered from bleeding on the brain and bruises on her head that appeared to be finger indentations. Doctors say the infant suffered from shaken baby syndrome and may never regain her vision.

Daniel James Michael Kreider,

Daniel James Michael Kreider, 34, 1202 Wooster Road 26, Winona Lake, is being charged with battery to a person less than 14 years of age, aggravated battery and neglect of a dependent, all level 3 felonies.

On May 4, officers were dispatched to Kreider’s Winona Lake residence in reference to a call of CPR in progress on an infant. Upon arrival, the officer observed Kreider had performed CPR on an unresponsive infant. The infant was resuscitated by medics transported to Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne.

According to the affidavit of probable cause, Kreider first told the officer that he was watching the infant for the infant’s mother. He was watching the infant alone for the night because the other occupants of the home were away for the evening. The child’s mother had left the home at 2:30 p.m. and Kreider’s girlfriend had left the home at 8 p.m.

The officer was then contacted by a caseworker with Child Protective Services. The caseworker advised that a bruise had been observed on the infants head, as well as a split lip. The caseworker expressed concern that the injuries had been caused by Kreider.

On May 5, the officer discovered that another officer was able to speak with a doctor from Lutheran Hospital. The doctor advised that an MRI was conducted on the infant and subdural bleeding of the brain was discovered. The doctor also confirmed the presence of bruising on the infant’s head and a cut on her lip.

On May 6, the officer received a report from the ophthalmologist at Lutheran Hospital. The doctor said he observed hemorrhages in the infant’s eyes and slated an assessment of shaken baby syndrome. The doctor further stated there was a poor prognosis of the infant regaining her vision and that the injuries were a result of abuse.

The CPS caseworker contacted the officer and informed him that Kreider had changed his story and now said that there was a female present at the residence when the infant suffered the injuries.

Officers then spoke with the female. The female told the officers that she arrived at the house after Kreider’s girlfriend had left for work around 8 p.m. and then left. She told the officers that after leaving the home, she called Kreider at both 8:59 and 9:27 p.m. The female stated that when she called at 9:27 p.m., Kreider stated that he could not talk because something was happening. The female advised that she did not observe any abuse from Kreider to the infant while she was at the residence.

Officers obtained the cell phones of both Kreider and the female for evidence. While searching the phones, officers discovered a text message conversation about what the female would tell the police when she was interviewed. The text message conversation occurred 10 minutes before the female’s interview with officers.

On May 10, the officers met with the Pediatric Trauma Surgeon involved with the infant’s case. The surgeon advised that there were bruises on the infant’s head that appeared to be indentations from fingers that were caused within 24 hours of the infant being examined. The surgeon also indicated that symptoms of shaken baby syndrome occurred quickly after the injury, either immediately or within two hours. The surgeon told the officers that once the violent incident occurred to the infant, her behavior would not be that of a normal, healthy infant and that the injuries were nearly fatal.

The officers downloaded photographs of the infant from the infant’s mother’s phone. The photos were taken at 1:37 p.m. on May 4 and showed no noticeable injuries. Due to this facts and the timeline presented, officers concluded that the infant was in Kreider’s care at the time of the injuries. The officers also concluded that the injuries inflicted on the infant were the result of abuse.

Kreider was booked into the Kosciusko County Jail on May 17, with a $20,250 surety and cash bond.