Jefferson City man pleads not guilty in shaken-baby case

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Jefferson City man pleaded not guilty Friday after he was accused of causing severe brain damage to his infant boy.

Kristopher J. Ruiz, 28, was charged Thursday with child abuse, first-degree domestic assault and first-degree child endangerment in Cole County.

Police were sent Aug. 13 to a residence on Brooks Street in downtown Jefferson City for a medical emergency with Ruiz's 2-month-old son, according to a probable cause statement. Doctors later said the infant's injuries, which included bleeding on his brain and his retinas, were consistent with a shaken baby, according to the statement.

The baby's mother told investigators that Ruiz hits her -- a claim corroborated by a roommate, the statement says. The baby's mother also told police about an incident two weeks before the 911 call when Ruiz allegedly handled the baby in a rough way, according to the statement.

Ruiz denied charges of physical violence against his son and the baby's mother, blaming the child's injuries on immunizations, according to police.

Ruiz remained jailed Friday without bond. A bond review is scheduled for Sept. 30.