A 29-year-old South Carolina man is facing charges after, according to an incident report, he admitted to dropping a baby and told a cop, “There is nothing wrong with playing rough.”
Richard Kavin Register is charged with unlawful conduct toward a child, public disorderly/public intoxication and simple possession of marijuana.
A Myrtle Beach police officer was patrolling on Aug. 8 at 2:06 p.m. in the area of 6th Avenue North and Chest Street.
The officer was approached by a witness who claimed they saw Register shake a baby in a stroller, according to the incident report. The witness also claims to have watched Register drop the child on the pavement after throwing the baby into the air and over his head, the report states.
At the intersection of 6th Avenue North and Flagg Street, the cop reported seeing Register pick up the infant off the ground.
Register admitted to the cop he dropped the child and had been drinking, the report states. He also told the officer he drops him often to “toughen the victim up,” the report reads.
The officer saw redness on the baby’s back and a small scrape on the baby’s stomach. The baby also appeared to be dehydrated and was covered in sand and dirt, the officer reported.
Register was ordered to put the baby back in the stroller and was arrested. He was then searched, and police say they found 5.49 grams of marijuana on him. Police also say they found a 40 oz. bottle of malt liquor under the baby’s stroller.
The baby was taken to the hospital for further assessment.
The cop later spoke with the “involved other.” That person did not appear to have any concerns with Register’s behavior, according to the report.
The South Carolina Department of Social Services responded to the hospital to take emergency protective custody of the child. The reason for this, according to the report, was concern over the “involved other” allowing Register to take care of the child despite knowing his history of harming the child.
Register is currently booked in the J. Reuben Long Detention Center.
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