![Cottondale Man Charged with “Severe, Willful Abuse” of Six-Week-Old Twins](https://townsquare.media/site/993/files/2021/11/attachment-Cottondale-Child-Abuse.jpg?w=980&q=75)
Cottondale Man Charged with “Severe, Willful Abuse” of Six-Week-Old Twins
A Cottondale man was arrested Friday and charged with severely abusing six-week-old twins who were hospitalized last week with injuries that allegedly included broken ribs, skull fractures and organ damage.
In a deposition filed Tuesday morning, investigators said the babies, a boy and girl, were admitted to Children's of Alabama hospital in Birmingham last week with extreme injuries.
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The six-week-old girl was suffering from broken ribs, a lacerated liver and bruising throughout her torso.
The infant boy reportedly suffered broken ribs and bruising as well as three skull fractures to the back of his head.
"Doctors that treated the infants described the injuries as severe, willful, and intentional," according to the deposition.
The abuse was reported to the Department of Human Resources, and the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Office opened a criminal investigation into the matter.
According to the documents, Andrew Javon Means, the twins' father, "admitted [to] forcefully grabbing both infants causing the injuries."
Means, a 29-year-old Cottondale man, was arrested Friday and charged with two counts of aggravated child abuse, which is a class B felony in the state of Alabama.
Means was booked in the Tuscaloosa County Jail, where his combined bond was set at $120,000, but his bond on pre-existing domestic violence charges and several failure to appear charges has been revoked, at least temporarily.
Stay connected to the Tuscaloosa Thread for updates on this case if and when they are made available.
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