Athens man facing charge of cruelty to infant son

By Joe Johnson

Brandon Leon Evans, 37, of Mitchell Bridge Road, is facing a felony cruelty charge for an incident in which his infant son’s skull was fractured.

According to court documents, Evans was arrested as the result of an investigation into why the 6-month-.old child had been brought by his mother to the hospital with head injuries in October 2022.

The woman told police that the infant was injured while Evans was caring for him the night before.

An investigation determined that Evans had dropped him while under the influence of beer and marijuana and that the child flew several feet into a desk before landing on the floor.

Details of the incident and the child’s injuries are in a

warrant to search hospital records that was filed this month in Superior Court.

The warrant reveals that the child’s eye had been swollen shut and he had a laceration on the back of the head. A scan revealed that his skull was fractured and there was a brain bleed.

Emergency department doctors determined that the infant needed to be transferred to a children’s hospital in Atlanta, telling police that his injuries were made much worse by the delay in seeking treatment.

Evans was arrested in October 2022 and in July 2024 was indicted on a charge second-degree child cruelty.

He remains free on bail while awaiting trial.