Dad Throws Baby Distracting Him From Video Games Against Wall: Police

A couple is accused of lying to police and doctors about abusing their infant after the father allegedly lashed out at the baby while trying to play video games.

The two are facing jail time on child abuse charges after initially misleading authorities about why their daughter had a fractured skull. Following her arrest, the infant and four other children—ages 2, 4, 6, and 8—have been placed into state care.

The mother, Dakota Vick, 24, was arrested in Omaha, Nebraska, on Thursday, after a second interview with police in which she admitted she had witnessed her husband's outburst against their daughter and was upset by how he handled the situation.

The father, Theodor Hurt, 23, was arrested in December over the incident, according to local station KETV.

The couple first brought the infant to the Children's Hospital in Omaha on November 22, telling staff the 8-month-old had fallen off of their couch twice while getting her diaper changed on November 19. The hospital found that the child had sustained "a skull fracture and significant swelling on the right side of her head."

On November 23, Hurt told police that "he became frustrated with his daughter for crying while he was trying to play video games and drink shots with his virtual friends online." In frustration, Hurt said that he took the child upstairs and threw her into a travel crib set so hard that her head hit the wall. He even demonstrated the throw for investigators. He claimed that the child had missed a nap earlier and was fussier than usual. Once his daughter began to cry, Hurt claimed that he began to cry himself over what he had done.

Vick initially said that Hurt's mother had witnessed one of the child's falls off the couch, which she said occurred at 4:15 p.m. and 6 p.m. on November 19. When interviewed by officers, Hurt's mother said that she had witnessed a fall after dropping off two older grandchildren from school, according to the Omaha World-Herald. She also said that she did not see the infant's cranial swelling until the following day.

Hurt and Vick are still in police custody, with bails set at $82,500 and $25,000, respectively, according to Westport News. Since his arrest in December, Hurt has pleaded guilty to his charges. Vick has yet to enter a plea.

Last month, in Tucson, Arizona, another tragic domestic incident involving video games played out. Police responding to a call found Isaiah Ainuu, 13, who reportedly stabbed his mother following a verbal argument over him playing video games. He also said that he struck his mother eight to nine times on the head with an exercise weight before the stabbing. She later died from her injuries. Her son was charged with first degree murder/domestic violence and was booked into a detention center.