York County father charged with ‘rage’ beating of crying infant, police say

A York County father has been arrested after he beat his infant son after the “cranky” child was crying, police said.

Mitchell Kirk Hatcher, 32, of Fort Mill was charged Monday with felony unlawful neglect of a child or helpless person, said Trent Faris, spokesperson the York County Sheriff’s office.

Deputies were called Saturday afternoon to Piedmont Medical Center in Rock Hill after the child’s mother took the infant to the hospital after noticing bruises on the child, according to a sheriff’s office report. The mother told police the 3-month-old baby had been in Hatcher’s care.

The child’s mother told officers Hatcher told her he “had a rage” during the incident, according to the report.

Hatcher told police he was upset because the child had been “very cranky” and had been crying, deputies said.

S.C. Department of Social Services was notified and is conducting a parallel investigation.

Deputies took pictures of the child’s injuries. After an investigation by officers over the weekend, deputies charged Hatcher Monday.

The extent of any injuries to the child is unclear, Faris said.

A conviction for felony unlawful conduct of a child or helpless person in South Carolina carries a prison sentence of up to 10 years. The law defines the charge as someone who places the child at unreasonable risk of harm affecting the child’s life, physical or mental health, or safety; or causing bodily harm to the child so that the life or health of the child is endangered or likely to be endangered.

Hatcher is in the York County jail pending a bond hearing.

This story was originally published March 25, 2019 at 3:38 PM with the headline "York County father charged with ‘rage’ beating of crying infant, police say."