A Richmond Hill man was arrested and charged with first degree cruelty to children, a felony, and hindering a law enforcement officer last week.
The child’s mother told officers that her boyfriend, Justin Alan Parfitt, had been watching her son.
“She left the child for approximately 30 minutes. When she left him, he was fine. When she returned he had injuries and she called 911,” Richmond Hill Police Department Maj. Mike Albritton said.
The injuries were to the child’s face, back and buttocks according to Albritton.
When officers arrived at a Cherokee Drive address just before 7:30 p.m. Feb. 12, medics already present informed them that they were examining and treating a 22-month-old with injuries and that a man had barricaded himself inside the house.
When, after several attempts to contact him, Parfitt answered the door officer Nicholas Paris informed him he would like to ask him a few questions, to which Parfitt agreed. At the officer’s suggestion, they went inside to talk where it was warm.
However, according to Paris, when he asked Parfitt what happened to the child, he told the officer, “Get out of the house. I never invited you in.”
Paris advised Parfitt that he did invite him in and asked to see his identification. Parfitt refused to show the officer any identification. Parfitt continued to refuse to identify himself, saying he did not wish to talk and was eventually able to slam the door in the officer’s face.
When Parfitt again opened the door, Paris and police Sgt. Raymond Fowler entered the house. The officers repeatedly asked about the injured child and for information about other children they understood to still be inside the residence.
After Parfitt continued to refuse to respond to any of the officers’ requests, he was taken into custody by Fowler, albeit with what was described as “significant resistance and violent behavior.”
Parfitt, who according to Albritton, had the odor consistent with that of alcohol about him, told officers the child was injured when he fell from a bed. However investigators felt the injuries were sustained in another manner.
“The lower half was like a bunk bed, the upper half is like a loft for kids to play on,” Albritton said. “He said the child was injured from falling out of the bed. But the nature of the injuries was not consistent with a fall.”
The 22-month-old will suffer no permanent injures from the incident, Albritton added.
Officers located four other juveniles who were in the residence during the time, none of whom were injured. All four were released to family members.