Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
A Mentone man will serve nine years in prison after battering an infant who was airlifted to a Fort Wayne hospital for their injuries.
During a jury trial in early October, Kaiden Eugene Meade, 21, of 506 N. Broadway St., Mentone, was found guilty of domestic battery to a person less than 14 years of age resulting in serious bodily injury, a level 3 felony.
Meade was sentenced in Kosciusko Superior Court I on Wednesday, Oct. 29.
Kosciusko Superior Court I Judge Karin McGrath sentenced Meade to 12 years in the Indiana Department of Correction, with nine years executed and three years suspended on probation. Meade has 27 days of jail time credit.
McGrath also made a domestic violence determination in Meade's case, which prohibits Meade from possessing a firearm for life.
At sentencing, McGrath noted multiple letters in support of Meade were submitted to the court. Around 15 people attended the sentencing in support of Meade as well.
Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Joseph Sobek asked the court to give Meade a sentence it deemed appropriate. Defense attorney Jay Rigdon noted Meade had done a lot of work over the last couple years since the incident to better himself.
Meade said he fully complied with the Department of Child Services during their investigation and that he was working to be "the best father I can be despite these circumstances." He asked for the chance to continue fulfilling the child's needs.
McGrath said the jury had ruled Meade shook the baby until they had a brain bleed.
"I have no doubt there's a lot of people who support you, no doubt that you love this child," said McGrath, noting rehabilitative steps Meade took while the case was pending.
She also referenced Meade's pre-sentence investigation report, in which Meade said he was "going through the hardest time of his life" and that he was "the rock" for the child and their mother.
"Nowhere did you mention the harm caused to this child, nothing of the sort," said McGrath. "You are absolutely entitled to maintain your innocence, and you're not being sentenced for taking this case to trial. You're being sentenced for what you did."
She said letters that were submitted in support of Meade were more focused on the child's well-being than Meade's PSI statement was.
Affidavit Of Probable Cause
On Feb. 26, 2023, a Kosciusko County Sheriff's Office deputy responded to a report of a baby sustaining injuries. Upon arrival at the scene, the deputy spoke with Meade, who said he put the child to bed and that they woke up an hour later and were fussy.
According to court documents, Meade said when he went to pick the child up, he started to drop them over a crib. When he caught the child to prevent them from falling, their neck snapped backward.
Meade went on to say the child was moving their arms differently and that their eyes looked different.
During the investigation, the deputy asked the child's mother if Meade was ever aggressive. The mother said Meade was sometimes aggressive when he was mad, but that he never took out that aggression toward the child. The deputy also asked about a hole in a bedroom door at the residence, and the mother said Meade had punched the door.
While at a hospital, Meade said he picked the child up from a crib and tripped over a baby gate in a doorway. Medical staff later advised the child would need to be airlifted to a Fort Wayne hospital to expedite their treatment.
A KCSO detective interviewed a responding EMT, who said Meade told her he picked up the child and lost his grip, and that the child almost fell down into the crib. There was no mention of tripping over a baby gate when the EMT and responding KCSO deputy were getting a trauma history from Meade.
The child was admitted to the Lutheran Hospital Pediatric Intensive Care Unit in Fort Wayne for a brain bleed. An assessment showed the child sustained pre-retinal, intraretinal, and sub-retinal hemorrhages, and a subdural hematoma.
The diagnosis was the child's injuries were non-accidental and inconsistent with the reported history given by Meade. Riley Hospital's Child Protection Team's evaluation stated the offered traumatic history did not adequately explain the child's injuries.
During the investigation, the KCSO detective also learned of a prior incident where the child had an unexplained facial injury while in Meade's care that Meade said occurred while he was co-sleeping with the child.
