Charges Dropped Against Father Accused Of Beating Infant Daughter

MOUNT CLEMENS (WWJ) -- Sadly, it's a situation that plays out all across America -- what appears to be a case of severe child abuse turns out to be a medical problem.

Last November, 30-year-old Lance Finner of Mount Clemens was arrested after doctors claim his three-week-old daughter Kyra had nearly 20 bone fractures. Police were called and Finner was charged with first-degree child abuse. He denied it, but still spent nine months in prison.

Macomb County Circuit Court Judge Jennifer Faunce dropped all charges against Finner on Monday.

Defense Attorney Matthew Kolodziejsi said the allegations were completely false.

"It's assumed that when a child suffers from not only one fracture, but from multiple fractures, that it intentionally inflicted, but that's just not always the case," Kolodziejsi said.

Kolodziejski said the baby's injuries were from a medical issue, and not from abuse.

"What this was, was a case of Kyra suffering from severe vitamin D deficiency and infantile rickets which essentially caused her bones to become very brittle and allowed them to fracture with even minimal trauma," Kolodziejsi said.

Macomb County Prosecutor Eric Smith apparently plans to appeal the judge's ruling.

Sheriff's deputies were called to Children's Hospital on Halloween after hearing from a social worker and staff about a 3-week old-girl who had several broken bones.

After detectives spoke with both parents, they determined that the girl's father was caring for the baby in their Mount Clemens home when she was injured.