WARREN - Jurors are midway through hearing a child abuse case, but will have to wait until next week to hear any testimony from the man accused of seriously injuring his baby daughter.
Two-year-old Alyssa Jarome sustained traumatic head injuries in September 2007 that has left her nearly totally blind and with brain damage. The baby had been transported by helicopter to Cleveland Clinic where she was diagnosed with two skull fractures, retinal hemorrhaging and brain swelling.
The girl's father, Jeremy Hendrex, 29, is accused of causing the injuries and is facing charges of felonious assault and child endangering,
Assistant prosecutor Diane Barber called on testimony from Cleveland Clinic opthamologist Dr. Jonathon Sears Thursday to explain the bleeding behind the eyes that he said was the result of blows to the head.
Earlier in the week a board certified pediatric neurologist at the Clinic, who had examined the child, said the injuries would have occurred in a time window of up to 24 hours before the baby was taken to the hospital. The doctor said the injuries resembled those of shaken baby syndrome.
Hendrex is expected to take the stand in his own defense, according to opening remarks from his attorney Patrick Donlin. The defense attorney has comforted Hendrex, who has sobbed throughout the trial. He has insisted he would do nothing to harm his child.
Donlin also said he will call Dr. Joseph Scheller, a board certified neurologist from Baltimore, who he said will explain at least some of the injuries as a result of external hydrocephalus, a collection of fluid on the brain.
Barber has not rested the prosecution's case and will continue with testimony from Mark Massucci, a Children Services investigator, who interviewed Hendrex twice.
The taped interviews show Hendrex explaining possible injuries as hitting the baby's head on a bathtub faucet and sliding off his lap.
Hendrex faces two and eight years if convicted.