Injured 9-month-old baby in stable condition
A 9-month-old Marion boy who detectives think was sexually and physically abused was in stable condition Friday at a Spokane hospital.
The child was life-flighted from Kalispell Regional Medical Center to Sacred Heart Hospital in Spokane on Aug. 9 after suffering life-threatening injuries in the alleged assault.
Investigators anticipate the child will be released within the next week, said Flathead County Detective Cmdr. Jeanne Landis.
The child was admitted to Kalispell Regional Medical Center about 10 a.m. Aug. 9 with bruises on his head, a bloody mouth, and injuries consistent with sexual abuse.
Doctors at the hospital told detectives the boy had suffered traumatic brain injuries and respiratory failure.
From Kalispell Regional Medical Center, the child was airlifted to Sacred Heart Hospital, where he was admitted with severe brain injuries from partial asphyxiation and other injuries consistent with sexual abuse.
The mother's boyfriend, 20-year-old Shane Phillip Nickerson, has been charged in connection to the alleged abuse.
He faces one count of sexual intercourse without consent, one count of sexual assault, one count of aggravated assault, and one count of criminal endangerment, all felonies.
Nickerson was arrested Aug. 9 after driving the injured child and the child's mother from his Wildebeest Lane cabin to Kalispell Regional Medical Center. Medical personnel notified Flathead County Sheriff's deputies of the suspected abuse after observing the child's injuries.
The child's mother told investigators Nickerson had been watching the child so she could sleep in.
Only Nickerson, the mother and her child were present in the home when the assault allegedly occurred, and the mother told detectives her son had been fine at bedtime the night before, according to detectives.
Nickerson is being held in the Flathead County Detention Center in lieu of $750,000 bail.
If convicted of all charges, Nickerson could be sentenced for up to 230 years in prison and fined $200,000. His arraignment is scheduled for Aug. 28.
Reporter Nicholas Ledden can be reached at 758-4441 or by e-mail at nledden@dailyinterlake.com