A Barrow County father was arrested March 28 for abusing his 4-month-old boy, according to the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office.

The next day, the mother was arrested for child cruelty. Police said the child is doing “okay” despite having more than 20 broken bones.

On March 28, the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office’s Criminal Investigations Division responded to a phone call from the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta about a 4-month-old child with multiple broken bones.

Police quickly arrested the baby’s father, Louis Coleman Sr., on multiple charges. The next morning, the child’s mother, Seleta Basinger, was charged with four counts of child cruelty. Police said they were led to believe she may have known about the abuse.

The two are currently in the Barrow County Detention Center. Coleman was charged with 26 counts of aggravated battery, criminal attempt to commit murder and aggravated assault.

Similar Situations

This isn’t the first case of suspected child abuse Barrow County Sheriff’s Office has investigated in recent months. Just this past February, two Barrow County parents were charged with child cruelty after the mother brought their 3-week-old son to Northeast Georgia Medical Center.

Capt. Cory Almond from the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office says he seen cases of neglect but child abuse cases are uncommon in Barrow County despite recent events. He told me quote:

As far as injuries a child sustains from a parent or loved one, it’s not common,” Almond Said.

Almond said he saw a picture of the child recently and that the boy “seems to be doing okay” and is currently in The Department of Children and Family Services’ custody.

Brittany Paris is a senior at the University of Georgia pursuing a bachelor’s degree in journalism, a minor in communication studies and a certificate from the New Media Institute.