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Suspect in child abuse case is son of sheriff's deputy

Posted at 6:20 PM, Nov 01, 2018
and last updated 2018-11-02 08:17:09-04

Steve Bonner is wondering if anyone will be held accountable for inflicting critical injuries on his two-year-old great-grandson.

The suspect is the toddler's 28-year-old father, said Oakland County Undersheriff Michael McCabe who confirms that the suspect is the son of a sheriff's deputy. 

Bonner, who is related to the child's mother, told 7 Action News that some relatives wonder if the father is receiving special treatment because it's been nearly two weeks since he took him to a hospital in Pontiac with injuries so severe that he had to be revived multiple times. 

The child's father reportedly left the hospital before detectives arrived.

The child was transported to another hospital where he is still recovering and his father is not allowed to see him, according to Bonner. 

"So, we have a concern that things aren't moving the way they should be," said Bonner. 

But Undersheriff McCabe tells 7 Action News that any suggestion of a possible coverup is an insult to the sheriff's office. 

McCabe said the issue is that they just don't have enough evidence to charge the father who they think was lying about the child being injured in a fall off a playscape. 

McCabe added that the suspect's father, the deputy, has been helpful in the case, even encouraging his son to talk to detectives. 

The suspect has now retained an attorney who tells 7 Action News that his client maintains his innocence. 

"I would say take a real good look in the mirror, get the help that you need," said Bonner about the child's father. "Turn yourself in and confess."

The child's mother is no longer involved with the father and was not present around the time investigators believe the injuries were inflicted.