Parents of toddler charged with criminal mistreatment

By KATU.com Published: Mar 19, 2012 at 11:20 AM PDT Last Updated: Mar 19, 2012 at 4:04 PM PDT

BATTLE GROUND, Wash. -- The parents of a 4-year-old have been charged after not having their child examined further by a doctor at OHSU, police said.

Patrick N. Andrews, 30, and Jessica R. Andrews, 26, were charged with second-degree criminal mistreatment and booked into the Clark County Jail.

The charges stem from an incident on March 17 when the Battle Ground Police Department responded to a call from a Kaiser Permanente medical doctor. Investigators said Patrick and Jessica Andrews had brought their 4-year-old in to Kaiser to be seen for a head injury suffered on March 12.

After examining the child, the doctor referred the child to Oregon Health & Sciences University (OHSU) for further examination and treatment. Police said the doctor followed up on the patient five days later and discovered the child had not been seen at OHSU, prompting the charges.

According to a probable cause affidavit, the child's injury was one week old and the doctor said that the couple's son was in "grave danger" due to neglect from the parents.

Also according to the affidavit, Patrick Andrews, who took the 4-year-old to the doctor in the first place, didn't take his son to OHSU for another doctor's exam. Instead investigators said he went home to tell his wife about what the doctor said and then told her to take the son to OHSU.

Jessica Andrews, however, told her husband she did not want to wake her son up and so they did not ever go to OHSU for more tests, investigators wrote in the court documents.

Three children, including the child with the head injury, were placed in the care of Child Protective Services.

Police are continuing their investigation into this case.

"The question I ask is this: If they weren't charged in the initial appointment, why are they suddenly being charged afterwards? Unfortunately, I fear that this family may face a tough battle ahead, and I wish that honestly and truth leads their paths."

http://www.katu.com/news/local/143354776.html