Souderton man jailed for injuring infant
NORRISTOWN » A 35-yearold Souderton man is behind bars after he was convicted of assaulting and seriously injuring his infant daughter during a domestic disturbance with the baby’s mother.
Tykee Copeland, of the 100 block of East Broad Street, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to 11½ to 23 months in the county jail on charges of simple assault, endangering the welfare of a child, recklessly endangering another person and conspiring in unsworn falsification to authorities in connection with the April 25, 2016, incident at his residence. A jury convicted Copeland of the charges during a trial in June.
Judge William R. Carpenter also ordered Copeland to complete three years’ probation after he’s paroled, meaning Copeland will be under court supervision for about five years.
“The jury found he caused injury to the child when he pushed his thengirlfriend into a wall while she was holding that child,” said county Assistant District Attorney Meghan Carney, explaining the nature of the charges. “The child’s head hit the wall and the child sustained injuries.”
The child suffered a brain injury during the incident. Carney sought a lengthy jail term against Copeland.
“Children are people that need our greatest protection and parents are supposed to be the ones providing that protection and he brought violence into the home when he caused these injuries to the child,” Carney said. “He tried to cover up his actions...and he did not take accountability for his role in causing the injuries to the little girl.”
An investigation of Copeland began after the victim, suffering from a head injury, was taken to an area hospital’s emergency room by the child’s mother, 31-year-old Amanda Keller. Initially, Keller told hospital staff that the baby had accidentally been hit in the head by a cellphone thrown by her then-10-year-old son.
Medical personnel observed swelling and an abrasion on the infant’s head, and doctors soon discovered the baby had severe bleeding in the brain that was not consistent with Keller’s account of how the child was injured, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed by Souderton Detective Joseph J. Rudner Jr. The baby was immediately transported by ambulance to a trauma center for additional treatment.
Physicians told investigators that the baby had suf-
fered brain bleeding and a concussion and characterized the injuries as “abusive head trauma caused by violent adult force,” according to the criminal complaint.
The doctors also said the infant “suffered permanent injury due to a lack of blood flow and/or oxygen to her brain,” adding that victims of abusive head trauma “have long-term physical, cognitive, developmental and behavioral health consequences,” according to the arrest affidavit.
During the subsequent investigation conducted by Souderton police and Montgomery County detectives, Copeland claimed to detectives that he and Keller had gotten into an argument over text messages that she had found on his cellphone, and that during the verbal altercation, he threw the phone against the ceiling, shattering it, according to the criminal complaint. Copeland claimed that after Keller informed him she thought the phone had struck the infant, they decided approximately 20 minutes later to take the baby to the hospital, according to court documents.
However, Keller eventually told detectives she hadn’t been truthful during her initial statement to hospital personnel. Keller then admitted that during her argument with Copeland about the text messages, Copeland had come up behind her while she was holding the baby and shoved her into a wall, causing the baby’s head to hit the wall “with full force,” according to the arrest affidavit.
Keller said that Copeland then threw his phone, which bounced off a wall and hit the baby on the head, according to court documents.
Keller told police that after seeing that her baby appeared to be unconscious, she told Copeland they needed to go to the hospital, but that Copeland grabbed her by the hair and told her, “She’s fine, we don’t have to take her to the hospital,” according to the criminal complaint.
But when Keller told Copeland she was going to call 911 if he didn’t allow her to take the baby to the hospital, he finally acquiesced, though he warned her not to tell anyone that he had caused the injury, according to the arrest affidavit.
Keller testified against Copeland during his trial.
Before Copeland’s trial began, Keller pleaded guilty to charges of unsworn falsification to authorities and conspiracy engaging in unsworn falsification, without further penalty, according to court records.