Mother Charged with Trying to Kill 6-Month-Old Son

Chelsie Grant, 19, of 6750 Lamour St., Lower Milford, was charged today with one count of attempted murder against her 6-month-old son, according to a press release from the Lehigh County District Attorney's office.

"Grant is charged with 'intentionally, knowingly or recklessly' attempting to cause the death of her son, according to the release. Police allege that Grant caused "multiple fractures to the baby’s arms and legs, caused bleeding by putting her fingers down the baby’s throat and choked the child until he was unconscious."

Grant brought her son to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest on Jan. 12, claiming the boy had been abused by his father. Emergency room doctors confirmed the boy had several injuries, including a right elbow dislocation and fractures of both the right and left arms and legs, according to the criminal complaint. Police were informed of the visit, and the boy was transported to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Investigators also discovered that had been called to Grant's previous home on Gun Club Road on Nov. 13  for "unexplained bleeding from [the son's] mouth."

On Jan. 20, Grant contacted police, requesting to come in and speak to detectives regarding her son's injuries. She drove herself to the station. The complaint goes on to state that when police asked Grant to re-enact her actions using a prop, Grant "placed one hand on the child's chest and used the other hand to pull the arms of the child as far as she could several times in each direction."

"She then grabbed the ankles of the victim and twisted them in both directions and pushed both legs up towards the chest of the child and pulled them down forcefully several times."

On Jan. 25, Grant admitted to a caseworker that in fact she - not the child's father - had caused her son's injuries. She also admitted to causing the injuries on Nov. 13 by "shoving her fingers down his mouth with tissue paper for 10 or 15 seconds."

Grant admitted to similar incidents in the past -- choking her son with a spoon as well as with her hands until he passed out.

She is charged with:

• one count of attempted homicide and two counts of aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury, both first-degree felonies;

• one count of endangering the welfare of a child, a third-degree felony;

• two counts of simple assault, which are misdemeanors of the first degree;

• one count each of recklessly endangering another person and false reports to law enforcement authorities, both second-degree misdemeanors.

Grant was arraigned by District Judge David Harding of Coopersburg and committed to Lehigh County Prison in lieu of $200,000 bail.

A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Feb. 9.

The above arrest information was supplied by the office of the Lehigh County District Attorney and the District Justice's office. It does not indicate a conviction.