A Lehigh Acres man, who eventually confessed to shaking his baby causing a brain bleed, told deputies he was scared he wouldn’t see his kids as he first recounted his story, his arrest affidavit shows.
Chancelor Rolle, 24, started Wednesday, August 5, at home with his children, 4-month-old and a toddler, while the children’s mother left for an early appointment. Within hours, his life was unraveling as deputies went to Golisano Children’s Hospital in Fort Myers, where social workers and the doctors said his baby’s injuries didn’t appear to match Rolle’s story.
Two days after the incident, authorities also announced they found Oxycodone pills at the home, resulting in an additional charge against Rolle.
According to the affidavit, his initial arrest came after the children’s mother, 23, her name redacted in the report, said Rolle called her “frantically” while she was at the appointment and said the baby was unconscious and having trouble breathing. He was headed to the hospital by ambulance.
She met them at the children’s hospital.
At the hospital, doctors and a social worker had notified the authorities of the infant’s brain bleed and “non-accidental trauma.”
The mother told detectives that she last saw the baby at 6 a.m., and he appeared healthy with no medical concerns.
Rolle told the detectives he had fallen asleep about 3 a.m. the previous night and woke up about the same time as the baby, who was crying about 8 a.m. Rolle told them he rocked the baby, who continued to cry before going to the kitchen get a bottle. He then said the baby quieted and appeared motionless as he returned.
According to the affidavit, Rolle left out critical parts of the story.
Later, he told them he took the baby with him to get the bottle, and he attempted to rock him more aggressively to calm him as he returned to the bedroom, hitting a door jamb with the baby’s head.
He then took the baby under the arms and shook him more vigorously and blew in his face because the baby wasn’t breathing properly. He then put the baby on the bed to finish preparing the bottle, and noticed the child stopped crying and went stiff.
He grabbed the baby and shook him to attempt to wake him. However, the baby drifted in and out of consciousness.
“Chancelor stated that he originally lied about the series of events, and left the part cut where he aggressively rocked the baby and violently shook him before the victim showed signs of a medical event as he didn’t want to get into trouble and was afraid that if he told the truth, it would affect his ability to see his children.”
He remained in Lee County Jail on Friday afternoon, with no bond for a charge of aggravated child abuse, and $50,000 bond on a charge of drug trafficking, stemming of the confiscation of oxycodone when deputies searched his home.
Investigators found than 1,600 Oxycodone pills during the execution of a residential search warrant while investigating the child’s abuse, the sheriff said in a social media post Friday.
Rolle is due in court on both charges Sept. 8. The sheriff also reported that other charges are possible.
News-Press Breaking News journalist Tayeba Hussein contributed to this report.
Stacey Henson is a breaking news and visuals editor for The News-Press & Naples Daily News. Reach her at shenson@usatodayco.com.
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This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: SW FL dad accused of baby shaking has drug-trafficking charge added
Reporting by Stacey Henson, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News / Fort Myers News-Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Stacey Henson, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News | USA TODAY Network
