Muskogee Woman Arrested For Shaking A Baby

A Muskogee woman is behind bars accused of shaking a 5 month old baby. The infant is in critical condition at a Tulsa hospital. <br/><br/>News on 6 reporter Ashli Sims says the woman accused of shaking

Monday, November 13th 2006, 7:30 pm

By: News On 6

A Muskogee woman is behind bars accused of shaking a 5 month old baby. The infant is in critical condition at a Tulsa hospital.

News on 6 reporter Ashli Sims says the woman accused of shaking the baby boy is not just his babysitter, but also his aunt. Muskogee Police booked 21-year-old LaTonya Whitelaw into the county jail on a complaint of felony child abuse.

The News on 6 spoke with Whitelaw's sister, Angela Warren, who is the baby's mother. She says Whitelaw was babysitting and admitted to shaking the baby. The baby's mother says he is in critical condition, under heavy sedation and doctors won't know how bad the damage is until he wakes up.

This type of child abuse is a serious problem. The National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome reports between 1,214 babies are shaken every year. And almost 30 percent die as a result of their injuries.

A Muskogee County Sheriffâ€™s deputy says Warren's other children have been taken into DHS custody.