El Cajon
An El Cajon man was arrested and booked on suspicion of child abuse Friday in the beating of his 8-week-old daughter, police said.
Laura Damron was listed in critical condition with respiratory failure at Children’s Hospital, a spokeswoman said.
El Cajon police received a call from an apartment on the 800 block of Magnolia Avenue reporting that the infant was not breathing shortly after 7 a.m. Friday, a police spokeswoman said.
The infant, who was breathing sporadically, was taken to Grossmont Hospital, where medical personnel found she had multiple bruises, police said.
The child was then taken to Children’s Hospital, where doctors found she had head injuries and a broken rib.
The child’s father, Stewart Damron, a petty officer in the U.S. Navy, was arrested and taken to County Jail downtown.
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