Father faces trial on charges he beat infant
NORRISTOWN >> An Upper Merion man who allegedly beat his infant son, causing severe injuries, including rib fractures and lacerations to his liver, must answer to attempted homicide charges in Montgomery County Court. Daniel Scott Rohloff, 33, of the 300 block of Jefferson Street in the Bridgeport section of Upper Merion, was held for trial, after a preliminary hearing Wednesday on charges of attempted murder, aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of a child and recklessly endangering another person in connection with the July 26 alleged beating of his 2-month-old son, Landon.
Rohloff will remain in the Montgomery County Correctional Facility in lieu of $1 million cash bail to await his trial.
Meanwhile, Rohloff’s mother, Michelle Rohloff, 63, of West Palm Beach, Fla., waived her preliminary hearing and was ordered to stand trial on charges of endangering the welfare of a child and recklessly endangering another
person in connection with alleged incidents related to the beating of her grandson. With those charges, prosecutors alleged Michelle Rohloff endangered the infant by violating her duty of care when she allowed her son to be with the child unsupervised.
Specifically, detectives alleged an investigation found that Michelle Rohloff was in a bedroom of the family’s home and allowed Daniel Rohloff to be alone with the baby in violation of an Office of Children and Youth safety plan and a court order, and remained in her bedroom despite Landon’s loud and unusual crying.
Detectives alleged Michelle Rohloff had “voluntarily assumed the role of the sole OCY approved supervisor in the home.”
Michelle Rohloff remains free on $25,000 unsecured bail to await her trial on the charges.
The Rohloffs will face formal arraignment hearings on their charges Oct. 20 in county court, after which a judge will set trial dates.
Prosecutors Brianna Ringwood and Kelly S. Lloyd are handling the case.
Defense lawyer Keith Harbison represents Daniel Rohloff, according to court records. Defense lawyer Abraham Hobson III represents Michelle Rohloff.
An investigation began July 27 when detectives responded to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia for a report of a 2-monthold boy suffering from “inflicted” wounds, according to a criminal complaint filed by county Detective Heather Long and Upper Merion Detective Michael Davis.
Doctors reported Landon had been brought to the hospital by his parents at 6:34 a.m. July 27. Upon examination, doctors determined that the baby “had injuries to multiple organ systems” including rib fractures, both new and healing, bilateral subdural hemorrhages, bruising and lacerations to his liver, and bruising on multiple areas of his body, according to the criminal complaint.
The child, who required life-saving interventions, was admitted to the hospital’s pediatric intensive care unit and is still undergoing additional medical evaluation, court papers indicated.
A physician who evaluated Landon said the injuries to multiple organ systems are indicative of nonaccidental trauma and that the medical findings were consistent with trauma occurring at more than one point in time, according to court documents.
When detectives interviewed the child’s mother, she revealed that she and Daniel Rohloff had a “heated argument” about 10 p.m. July 26 during which Rohloff allegedly threw a beer bottle at her and broke other items in their bedroom.
The child’s mother left the residence and drove to a local park and sat in her car until she received a text message around midnight from Daniel Rohloff stating the baby was having a seizure, according to the arrest affidavit. She immediately returned home and found Landon swaddled and sleeping on a cushion in the living room and Rohloff seated on a couch. She told detectives Landon appeared to be sleeping and exhibiting no signs of a seizure, according to court papers.
Later on the morning of July 27, Daniel Rohloff, according to court papers, yelled through an intercom of a home security system because Landon was experiencing another seizure. The child’s mother went downstairs and found Rohloff alone with Landon, and she described the baby as appearing “limp” and “pale in color,” and recognized something was wrong and had Rohloff drive her to the Philadelphia hospital, according to the arrest affidavit.
During the investigation, detectives learned there were numerous surveillance cameras inside the residence.
A review of the video footage showed that at 7:22 p.m. July 26, Daniel Rohloff entered a bedroom carrying Landon, who was quiet and content. Rohloff allegedly can be seen covering the camera with a towel, and then faint gurgling sounds made by Landon are audible until the baby “then begins intensely screaming,” according to the criminal complaint.
At 10:17 p.m., Daniel Rohloff, carrying Landon, entered the bedroom again, closed the bedroom door and again covered the camera, detectives alleged.
“Within 11 seconds of the camera being covered, Landon begins intensely crying. Landon cries like this for 8 seconds and then goes silent,” detectives wrote in the arrest affidavit.
Six seconds later, Landon begins to intensely cry again until Rohloff exits the room and goes downstairs carrying the baby.
A further review of surveillance footage found that between 10:17 and 10:38 p.m., Daniel Rohloff and the baby’s mother can be heard arguing and the baby’s mother yelling for Rohloff to give her the baby and repeatedly asking him to leave the residence before she threatens to call police, court papers indicate.
When detectives interviewed Daniel Rohloff on July 27, he allegedly provided a timeline of events that “was sporadic and vague and as the interview progressed, detectives noted numerous inconsistencies and efforts by Rohloff to minimize events,” according to the arrest affidavit.
When Rohloff was asked why he covered the surveillance camera in the bedroom, he could not provide an explanation, detectives said.