A 27-year-old Palenville man allegedly caused "life-threatening injuries" after beating his four-month-old son last week, according to the New York State Police and the Daily Freeman.
Left: Kirk Berry. Photo via the New York State Police.
Kirk Berry was reportedly at home with his son in their home on Route 32A in the Greene County hamlet of Palenville on Friday, June 5 when he "became angry" and severely battered the child, according to a state police press release.
Berry was arrested on Tuesday, June 9 for assaulting the baby. He was arraigned in the town of Cairo Court and is being held in the Greene County Jail on $50,000 cash bail, police say.
A state police lieutenant has told the Daily Freeman that the baby's condition is critical:
Lt. Michael Drake said the boy was in critical condition as of Wednesday and was “in no way, shape or form out of the woods.” Drake said the boy, whose name was not released, was being “monitored diligently by the hospital” and continued to have seizures due to pressure on his brain caused by cranial bleeding.
The news comes a week after the sentencing of an Ulster County man in a similar child abuse case.
Kenneth M. Stahli was given a sentence of 25 years to life in prison on Thursday, June 4 for beating his girlfriend's son, two-year-old Mason DeCosmo, to death over a period of days in 2014.
