Tupelo man charged with felony child abuse

Nov. 15--TUPELO -- A man was arrested Wednesday, charged with abusing his girlfriend's child and sending the 6-year-old to the hospital with serious injuries.

Tupelo police were called to the emergency room of the North Mississippi Medical Center at 5:30 a.m.Nov. 13 for a possible child abuse case. The initial information given to officers was that the boy was suffering from life-threatening injuries, those injuries were not accidental and they had occurred in Tupelo.

According to Tupelo police spokesman Capt. Chuck McDougald, as the child received emergency medical care, officers quickly identified Joshua Oakley as a person of interest and he was detained.

Oakley, 29, of 2646 Arlington St., Tupelo, is in a relationship with the victim's mother and was babysitting at the time of the injuries. He was charged with felony child abuse and booked into the Lee County Jail.

During his initial appearance in Tupelo Municipal Court, he was ordered held without bond.

The child has since been transferred to the Le Bonheur Children's Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.

william.moore@journalinc.com

Twitter:@WilliamMoore_DJ

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