Franklin County man charged with shaking baby

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June 2, 2009

By ANDREA VanVALKENBURG The Press Republican Tue Jun 02, 2009, 04:13 PM EDT

By ANDREA VanVALKENBURG

Staff Writer

MALONE — A Franklin County infant is in critical condition with severe head injuries after he was allegedly repeatedly shaken by his father.

Malone-based State Police were contacted about Ethan Lavertue’s injuries after the 5-month-old was taken to Alice Hyde Medical Center in Malone, where hospital personnel diagnosed him with a “potentially life-threatening” brain injury.

Ethan was transferred to Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington, where he remained in critical condition Tuesday afternoon.

Police said the extent of his brain damage is still unknown.

State Police investigators believe the boy’s father, David Lavertue, shook the infant on at least two occasions over the course of several days.

Police believe his actions caused his son’s significant head trauma.

The 24-year-old Moira man was arrested this week on two felony counts of reckless assault on a child and misdemeanor counts of endangering the welfare of a child.

He was arraigned in Bombay Town Court and sent to Franklin County Jail on $25,000 cash bail, which he had not posted as of Tuesday afternoon.

He will reappear in court at a later date to face the allegations.

E-mail Andrea VanValkenburg at:

avanvalkenburg@pressrepublican.com