A Cohoes man is facing charges after the death of his infant child. Police are still not going into great detail about this incident, saying it’s still under investigation, but court documents are revealing more detail about what happened.
The complaint alleges the child ingested methamphetamine that was left out.
Anthony Ojeda, 38, was arraigned in city court Wednesday afternoon. He faces charges of second degree assault and second degree manslaughter stemming from a Tuesday morning call to Ojeda's Van Vechten Street residence.
Ojeda told police the child was born prematurely to a drug-addicted mother, and that he’d had trouble feeding the baby before its nap. Police allege Ojeda didn't immediately seek attention for the six-week-old infant upon discovering the child in a medical emergency. The complaint claims that "after waiting several hours to call for help," the infant was transported to Albany Medical Center, where it died.
"As a parent, obviously you’re obligated to seek medical attention for a child that’s having an emergency," said Detective Lieutenant Jason Johnston of the Cohoes Police Department. "He believes that the child got into a substance that was left in the house and he ultimately didn’t seek treatment for that because he was concerned for his well-being legally and that led to, ultimately, the baby’s death."
While investigating the death of the child, doctors found the infant had several fractured ribs that were healing. Police say Ojeda admitted to getting angry with the baby in mid-November and picked the infant up with one hand by the chest.
Johnston says the investigation is ongoing and the cause of death has not yet been determined. He says the district attorney's office is reviewing the case and determining if additional charges are forthcoming.