Johnson County Sheriff: Man Forcefully Struck Infant, Claimed He Had Tried to 'Swat a Fly and Missed'

An Oxford man is facing felony child abuse charges and is currently incarcerated in the Johnson County Jail after he allegedly slapped a young infant hard enough to cause a hemorrhage on the child's brain last November.

According to a Johnson County Sheriff criminal complaint, on Nov. 25, 2012 David Wayne Doornink, 21, of Oxford was watching an infant child at his residence at 1813 Lower Old Highway 6 NW while the child's mother was away at work. It was during this period that Doornink is accused of striking the child with an open hand.

Later that day, when the mother returned, she observed bruising on the child's head, but when asked Doornink denied knowledge of the injury's source, according to the complaint. A day later, the mother sent photos of the bruises to the child's grandparent, who then forwarded them to the Department of Human Services.

Doornink was then confronted by the child's mother again before the arrival of a DHS case worker and a county deputy. At this time Doornink told investigators that he had struck the child, but that he had "been attempting to swat a fly and missed" according to the complaint. The DHS worker and deputy had the child taken to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics for further examination.

Examination of the infant's head revealed a hand-shaped bruise on the left side of the child's head plus a "hemorrhagic contusion" to the brain on the same side. In a subsequent interview, Doornink admitted to striking the child with his hand.

Doornink was booked into the Johnson County Jail on Wednesday morning. He has been charged with child endangerment with bodily injury, a Class D felony. He is in the jail currently on a $7,500 bail, according to jail records.