Dad Inflicted 'Severe Physical Injury' On Infant Daughter

HAVRE DE GRACE, MD — A 34-year-old Havre de Grace dad has pleaded guilty to inflicting "severe physical injury" on his now 11-month-old baby that has left the infant permanently injured.

Alex Lawson entered his guilty plea Feb. 27 to the charges of first-degree child abuse and second degree child abuse. He subsequently was sentenced to 40 years suspend all but 22 years in prison. After he's released from prison, he will be on five years of supervised probation.

On June 24, 2025, Harford County sheriff's deputies received a call for help involving a 12-week-old baby girl in cardiac arrest. The baby was rushed to Upper Chesapeake Hospital and then flown to Nemours Children’s Hospital.

The infant had suffered bilateral subdural hemorrhaging on her brain, bleeding on both sides of her brain, an occipital fracture, a skull fracture, a hemorrhage in her spine and too numerous retinal hemorrhages to count, the Harford County Office of the State's Attorney said.

The medical team identified all these injuries as non-accidental trauma. She was intubated and remained in Nemours Children’s Hospital until July 11, 2025, where she also suffered from seizures as a result of the trauma.

Harford County Sheriff’s Office Detective Scurto, who is assigned to the Child Advocacy Center, launched an investigation. Evidence showed that Lawson abused the infant on several occasions while he was alone with her.

The abuse included Lawson violently shaking the baby between his legs, causing her head to forcefully bounce back and forth between his knees, whipping her with a swaddling blanket and throwing her onto a pillow causing her body to violently bounce, court records showed.

Lawson also picked up the weeks-old baby by one leg and flipped her over before tossing her onto the sofa and also pushed and bent her body in half before carrying her. As a direct result of Lawson's assaults and abuse, the baby has permanent physical injuries, although the exact extent of those injuries is not fully known at this time, officials said.

“There is perhaps nothing more important than protecting our community’s most vulnerable victims, our children. The collaborative efforts of our prosecutors, support staff and the law enforcement officers in the Harford County Child Advocacy Center are a testament to the commitment, skill and passion of those who have dedicated their lives to being champions for the children that need it most," stated State’s Attorney Alison M. Healey. "It is our hope that this sentence will ensure that this young victim will never be at risk of harm at the hands of this defendant again.”