Louisville dad charged with criminal abuse after police say 10-year-old's finger broken

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Police say attentive school officials in Louisville stepped in to protect a 10-year-old boy who was being physically abused by his father.

According to court documents, it happened on Nov. 22. Police say 41-year-old Taj Hess got angry when he learned that his 10-year-old son had a cell phone at school. Authorities say he showed up at the school to sign his son out, and told officials that his son would "suffer the consequences for lying," according to the arrest warrant.

Police say when the boy got home, he fell asleep on his bed. According to the warrant, he woke up when his father, Hess, broke through the door. When the boy sat up, police say Hess kicked him in the chest and knocked him down on the bed. He then allegedly picked the boy up by his hair and threw him into the door, breaking his finger.

According to the warrant, the boy heard his hand crack.

The boy returned to school the following Monday, but not before Hess warned him not to tell anyone what happened. In order to hide the injury, police say the student wore a glove.

When he got to school, the boy went to the nurse's office to get an ice pack to ease the pain in his hand. The boy told the nurse that he suffered the injury when he accidentally fell on his hand.

At that point, the nurse told the boy she was going to call his father to tell him about the injury. Police say the child became "very nervous" and "begged" them not to call, adding that it would only make his father mad. Hess was called, and the nurse told him his son needed to get medical treatment for his hand.

At that point, police say Hess lied to school officials, telling them his son had a doctor's appointment when he did not.

When the boy returned to school on Dec. 2, he was still wearing the glove, according to the arrest warrant. School officials again asked him about the injury, and immediately decided they were going to call his father. The boy, again, became "very scared and nervous and begged them not to call."

At that point, school officials opted to call Child Protective Services.

The next day CPS representatives showed up at the boy's school and tried to interview him about what happened, but he was too scared to answer any of their questions.

Eventually, CPS contacted the boy's great aunt, who came to the school. When she arrived, police say the child broke down and admitted that Hess, his father, had caused the injury.

The boy was then taken to Norton Children's Hospital. Police say he had a broken finger on his left hand that will likely require surgery to fix. Officials say his injuries were "highly concerning for physical abuse" and his case is "diagnostic of medical neglect."

Hess was arrested on Thursday and charged with first-degree criminal abuse of a child. He is currently being held in Louisville Metro Corrections.