NATASHA O'BRIEN: SHAKEN BABY CASE; JACKSON COUNTY WISCONSIN; PROSECUTOR DISMISSES CHARGES AFTER HUNG JURY; EXPLAINS WHY; WQOW;

"Doctors who cared for the baby said it would take an adult to cause the injuries, which included signs of shaken baby syndrome.

O’Brien said her three-year old son pulled the baby from his crib, and the infant fell on his head. The DA says he decided not to retry O’Brien after her lawyer showed him proof that the crib had been involved in a safety recall, and because a reenactment videotaped by law enforcement showed that the three-year old was able to lift a 10 pound bag of sugar, equivalent to the baby’s weight."
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REPORTER KEITH EDWARDS: WQOW; Wikipedia informs us that: "WQOW is the ABC-affiliated television station for Eau Claire, Wisconsin."

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"Jackson County (WQOW) - A prosecutor explains why he’s dismissing child abuse charges against an area woman," the WQOW story by reporter Keith Edwards published on September 7, 2011 begins, under the heading, "Child abuse charges dismissed against area woman."

"Natasha O’Brien’s first trial ended in a hung jury. Jackson County DA Gerald Fox will not pursue a second trial. O’Brien’s four-month old son was hospitalized with multiple injuries, including a skull fracture and a broken wrist," the story continues.

"Doctors who cared for the baby said it would take an adult to cause the injuries, which included signs of shaken baby syndrome.

O’Brien said her three-year old son pulled the baby from his crib, and the infant fell on his head. The DA says he decided not to retry O’Brien after her lawyer showed him proof that the crib had been involved in a safety recall, and because a reenactment videotaped by law enforcement showed that the three-year old was able to lift a 10 pound bag of sugar, equivalent to the baby’s weight.

Fox says that convinced him of reasonable doubt. He will not reveal the child’s current condition, but says O’Brien’s children remain in protective custody."

The story can be found at:

http://www.wqow.com/story/15414042/child-abuse-charges-dismissed-against-area-woman

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EDITOR'S NOTE: The initial WQOW story - when Natasha O'Brien was charged - ran as follows, under the heading, ""Child abuse charge filed against Jackson County mother."

"Jackson County (WQOW) - A child abuse charge is filed against a Jackson County mother. Her baby was taken to the hospital with multiple injuries, including a skull fracture.

Investigators say Natasha O'Brien took her four-month-old to the hospital in January after, she says, her three-year-old pulled him out of the crib and he fell on the floor.

The baby suffered a skull fracture, bleeding on the brain and fractured wrist. Doctors say there is evidence the baby was shaken.

They also say the injuries could not have been caused by a child. O'Brien will be in court next week. There is no word on the baby's condition."

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The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at:

http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith

Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at:

http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html

Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog; hlevy15@gmail.com;