A Greencastle man is behind bars in the Boone County Jail after he was arrested for abusing his newborn baby.

Gavan Rogers, 24, Greencastle, is being held in the Boone County Jail without bail and has been charged with two level 5 felonies, neglect of a dependent resulting in bodily injury and domestic battery resulting in bodily injury. He was set to have a court hearing Friday, March 17. 

According to court documents, staff at Witham Hospital notified police after observing bruises on an two-week old's wrists, shoulder and knee last November. When asked, Rogers told hospital staff he "play bit" or "open mouth kissed" his child too hard. 

Police didn't buy the story, however, as a detective noticed at least six photos that featured what looked like bite marks on the child. 

According to court documents, an officer wrote, "These injuries could only have been inflicted while using excessive force, which would have caused severe pain to the (victim)." 

The officer also noted he saw photos of mouth shaped bruises on the child's shoulder, forearms, stomach, knee and leg. 

According to court documents, the baby was seen at Lebanon's Witham Hospital for a newborn checkup and staff there sent her to Riley Hospital for Children and notified the Indiana Department of Child Services of what they observed. 

Rogers stated that he lived in Greencastle with his parents, but had stayed with the baby and her mother in Whitestown since the baby was born and that he gave the baby "love bites" and nibbled too hard. 

Police noted nurses at Witham were concerned for the baby's safety from her birth, adding that Rogers had called the child "ungrateful," "little (expletive)," and "evil."

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