A 26-year-old man was arrested and accused of assault on a child causing great bodily injury after a 1-year-old was found with skull fractures.
On July 31st, 2016 at about 4:18 am, Kern County Sheriff’s deputies responded to Mercy Southwest Hospital regarding a one year old in critical condition. Deputies arrived and spoke with hospital staff who informed them the child had injuries, including skull fractures and bleeding and swelling to the brain, which were consistent with being assaulted.
Deputies spoke to the child’s mother at the hospital. The mother reported that she had left the child in the care of an acquaintance, 26 year old Richard Graham, at the Super 8 Motel in Buttonwillow. Due to the severity of the child’s injuries, detectives from the Sheriff’s Office Sexual Assault and Abuse Investigations Unit and homicide detectives assumed the investigation.
The child was flown to Valley Children’s Hospital in Madera and is currently in serious but stable condition. Based on evidence and information developed by detectives during the investigation Graham was arrested for assault on a child with great bodily injury. He was booked into the Sheriff’s Office Central Receiving Facility and is currently being held on $1,000,000 bail.
