ALBANY, Ore. (KOIN 6) — A Bureau of Land Management ranger is accused of severely assaulting his girlfriend’s 3-year-old son.
Jason William Cox faces first-degree assault and criminal mistreatment charges in the beating that left the boy with a traumatic brain injury, Albany police told KOIN 6 News. The boy was initially treated for life-threatening injuries on on Jan. 8, but is now expected to recover.
That night, Albany medics were called to an apartment in the 3300 block of Jackson when the boy had trouble breathing. The fire department medics called police when they noticed the child had bruises on his forehead.
Cox, 35, was home all day with the child, police said, and allegedly admitted to drinking a 6-pack of beer and took prescription medication. When the child’s mother got home, she noticed the bruising but the boy said he was fine.
She brought the child into bed with her and Cox — he’d been living with the mother and child for two months — and the boy’s lips turned blue and he began to have a seizure, she told police.
Paramedics were called and the boy was rushed to a Corvallis hospital and later transferred to Portland.
Cox was arrested the next day and posted bail. He is currently employed by the Bureau of Land Management, Albany police said.