Silver Lake Daily Newsletter.com

Caledonia man charged with assault after throwing baby

Livingston County News Staff

A Caledonia man has been charged with assault after allegedly throwing and causing severe injuries to a 2-month-old child, according to the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office.

Zachary A. McCaa

The baby, who was reported as being in grave condition and not breathing when first responders arrived on the scene, was in guarded condition Tuesday at Strong Memorial Hospital, Rochester, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

The Sheriff’s Office and Caledonia Police conducted a joint investigation into the incident, which was reported June 9.

Zachary A. McCaa, 26, was arrested June 10 and charged by Caledonia Police with reckless assault of a child, a class D felony.

A person is guilty of reckless assault of a child when, being 18 years or older, such person recklessly causes serious physical injury to the brain of a child less than 5 years old by shaking the child, or by slamming or throwing the child so as to impact the child’s head on a hard surface or object. The charges carries a minimum sentence of 2 years in state prison, and a maximum sentence of 7 years.

The investigation is continuing.

The charge stems from an investigation that began about 3:20 p.m. June 9 when the Livingston County Emergency Communications Center received a 911 call from a residence on Iroquois Road in the Village of Caledonia reporting that a 2-month-old baby at the location was not breathing. Officers from the Caledonia Police Department and emergency medical personnel from CHS Ambulance arrived and located the baby inside the residence in grave condition, the Sheriff’s Office said.

The baby was rushed to Strong Memorial Hospital for treatment.

Members of the Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division and the Forensic Identification Unit, at the request of Caledonia Police, responded to the scene to assist with an investigation into what caused the child to stop breathing.

McCaa was the sole caregiver at home during the incident. Sheriff’s Investigators spoke with McCaa to learn what happened to the child. At the same time, members also responded to Strong Memorial Hospital to gather additional information and evidence, the Sheriff’s Office said.

The investigation alleged that McCaa caused serious physical injuries to the child after throwing the child, causing him to strike his head. It is further alleged that during the incident McCaa shook the child violently on more than one occasion, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Sheriff’s Investigators continued to speak with McCaa and he was arrested in the early morning hours of June 10.

McCaa was turned over to Central Booking deputies at Livingston County Jail for arrest and pre-arraignment detention. The District Attorney’s Office requested that McCaa be held on $25,000 cash bail or $100,000 bond.

McCaa was later arraigned at Livingston County Centralized Arraignment Part at Livingston County Jail before Town of Geneseo Judge Kathleen Houston, who remanded McCaa to the custody of the Sheriff on the recommended bail.

The Livingston County Public Defender’s Office represented McCaa at the arraignment. The District Attorney’s Office did appear via telephone at the arraignment.

Assisting with the investigation were members of the Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division, Forensic Identification Unit, Caledonia Police Department, Livingston County District Attorney’s Office, Livingston County Department of Social Services, and CHS Ambulance.