#primary children

KEARNS — A Kearns father has been charged with abusing his 7-month-old twins, which resulted in leg fractures and eye injuries.

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Antoneus Deslegte, 25, was charged Friday with five counts of child abuse, a second-degree felony.

One twin, a girl, was admitted to Primary Children's Medical Center on June 19 with a large laceration and bruise to her right eye, according to the charges filed in 3rd District Court. X-rays also showed she had suffered a fractured tibia.

Primary Children's child abuse expert Dr. Karen Hansen told investigators that the laceration, which required eight stitches, would have been caused by a blow of sufficient force to pull the skin apart. When physicians examined the twin brother, they found he also had a fractured right tibia and an older skull fracture that had been healing, the charges state.

Deslegte told police he had been holding his daughter when she fell back and hit her head on a baby swing. And in late April, he said he had picked the girl up and heard a "pop" from her leg, according to the charges.

The children's mother told police Deslegte is rough with the children and she was afraid to leave them alone with him. Other family members reported that Deslegte treats the twins roughly, including forcing a binky in their mouths and picking them up by one arm, the charges state.

Some family members also told investigators that the 7-month-old girl cries whenever she's in the room with her father, tries to get away from him and "freaks out" when he picks her up.

Hansen reported that the girl's fractured tibia likely occurred in late April when she was admitted to Intermountain Medical Center for a swollen leg that was beginning to heal. The doctor told prosecutors that the parents' explanations did not account for the twins' injuries, which were "highly likely" to have been caused by a person, not by accident.

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