Man sentenced for breaking baby’s bones

BEND, Ore. — A former hospital worker during sentencing Tuesday in Deschutes County Circuit Court said he was stressed by the COVID-19 pandemic when hurt his infant son.

Charles Medley was sentenced to three years probation with conditions including attending parenting and aggression control classes, The Bulletin reported. Violating the conditions could result in a four-year prison sentence.

Medley pleaded guilty on Monday to three counts of first-degree criminal mistreatment. Medley had no prior criminal record, which attorneys said factored into the sentencing recommendation.

Defense attorney Clark Fry acknowledged his client went from “zero to 60 pretty fast.”

The case came to the attention of law enforcement April 23 when the then-15-week-old child arrived for a checkup at a hospital with injuries including skull and leg fractures and a brain bleed.

At the time, Medley worked the graveyard shift at St. Charles Bend emptying trash containers in the hospital. He told police he was getting less than four hours of sleep a night and was experiencing stress from the child’s birth and isolation related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

A psychological exam of Medley found he showed remorse and sympathy for his son and was receptive to undergoing intensive treatment.

Medley was in custody in the Deschutes County jail for 216 days, from his arrest in April until his sentencing Tuesday.

The victim’s mother spoke briefly by phone, asking the judge for leniency. She said her child had fully healed and the Department of Health and Human Services recently closed its case on the incident.

Medley, who appeared by video from jail, said he was remorseful and that he knew there was no excuse for what he did.