[StBernard] St. Bernard Parish man booked with cruelty after 4-month-old daughter suffers skull fracture

[Westley Annis]

St. Bernard Parish man booked with cruelty after 4-month-old daughter
suffers skull fracture

Published: Friday, November 25, 2011, 4:50 PM     Updated: Friday, November
25, 2011, 5:52 PM

 By The Times-Picayune 

A 4-month-old St. Bernard Parish girl suffered two skull fractures when her
father allegedly "lost his cool'' and threw her onto a bed, causing her to
strike a wall and then the floor. William Bertoniere, 24, of 1612 Heights
Drive in eastern St. Bernard, was booked Wednesday night with felony cruelty
to a juvenile after he and the child's mother brought the infant to
Children's Hospital, Sheriff-elect James Pohlmann said in a news release.
The injuries are not considered life-threatening, he said.

Bertoniere allegedly told detectives that after bathing and dressing his
daughter, he slipped while walking out of the bathroom. The fall caused his
baby to injure her leg, triggering a bout of crying, Pohlmann said.

Despite the baby crying for "a long period," Bertoniere did not seek medical
help, Pohlmann said.

Bertoniere eventually "lost his cool" and threw the girl onto a bed, where
she hit her head on the wall and then fell onto the floor, Pohlmann said.
The child's mother was working at the time.

After telling the mother of the injuries, Bertoniere brought the child to a
doctor's office in Chalmette and then to Children's Hospital for emergency
treatment, Pohlmann said. That triggered an investigation by the Sheriff's
Office Juvenile Division and state child protection officials, the
sheriff-elect said.

In addition to two bilateral skull fractures, the girl suffered a leg injury
and as of Friday had spent two nights in the hospital. The child was
expected to be released Friday, he said.

Bertoniere was in St. Bernard Parish Prison. His bond was set Friday at
$50,000. Cruelty to juveniles carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison
and a fine of up to $1,000 upon conviction.