Indiana father blames baby's horrifying broken bones and mouth injuries on 'rough diaper changes'

An Indiana dad has been arrested for allegedly battering his baby, claiming the baby's grim injuries were due to "rough diaper changes" .

Tristan Dean Gerhardt, 28, found himself behind bars after his 6-month-old was rushed to hospital with fractures in both arms and legs, plus a bleeding mouth . Arrested on Monday, he is charged with felony domestic battery resulting in serious bodily harm to a person under 14 and one count of felony neglect of a dependent causing serious bodily injury, court documents reveal.

On May 1, police dashed to Peyton Manning Children's Hospital to post a tip-off about a baby that was the suspected victim of child abuse . The child had suffered broken bones in the upper and lower left arm, upper right arm, lower left leg, and both ends of the right leg.

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The child had scars in the mouth where the gums meet the lips, and medical records indicated the baby had been enduring bleeds from the mouth due to torn tissue, the affidavit states. Medics believe the bleeding started when the infant was just three weeks old, and this type of injury typically comes from forcefully jamming bottles or soothers into a baby's mouth out of sheer frustration.

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When asked about the possible causes of the injuries, Gerhardt reportedly blamed tight swaddling and "rough diaper changes" , according to the affidavit.

However, doctors have stated that most of the fractures were classic metaphyseal lesions (CMLs), a type of injury that suggests child abuse, occurring when "forceful yanking, pulling or jerking causes tearing at the end of the bone."

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Medical experts have asserted that such injuries could not result from normal baby handling. "If a person changes an infant's diaper in a way that breaks his legs because of the pulling/jerking they are doing; they may call this a 'rough diaper change.' I would call this abusive," one doctor noted.

"I am not able to say the actions by the parents were abusive. I am able to say that if CML fractures on an infant were caused by a parent changing his diaper, those actions would be abusive."

The baby's mother informed police that her husband, Gerhardt, is the primary caregiver for their infant during the day while she is at work. Other relatives have expressed concerns to the authorities regarding Gerhardt's behavior, alleging he often lets the baby cry incessantly and handles the child roughly during changes.

"Tristan is very mean, short-tempered, and yells a lot at the victim when [the mother] is not at home," the court documents state. After the incident, Gerhardt allegedly hinted that he had previous encounters with child services in a message to the infant's mother.

"I've been through this before I'm loosing you both," he reportedly wrote. Gerhardt was arrested at his home on July 29.

He appeared in court virtually on Tuesday for an initial hearing and his bond has been set at $150,000.