Fort Bragg man arrested for infant's death
Fort Bragg man arrested for infant's death
Submitted by Scott Mayberry Fort Bragg police chief
Updated: 12/10/2012 05:30:41 PM PST
On Sunday, Dec. 2, at 1:11 p.m. officers from the Fort Bragg Police Department were called to the Mendocino Coast Hospital for an alleged physical abuse of a five-month-old infant. Upon the officer's arrival medical staff told the officers the infant was brought into the hospital in respiratory distress, and also had bruises about her face and skull. Due to the nature of the injuries, the infant was transported to Oakland Children's Hospital by REACH helicopter.
Officers interviewed the foster father, Wilson Tubbs (aka Josh Tubbs), 38, who brought the infant into the hospital. Tubbs told the officer at the hospital that the night before, on Dec. 1, while changing the infant's diaper he stepped away for just a few seconds into another room when he heard the infant crying. Tubbs said when he returned to the room he noticed the infant laying on the floor with the changing pad on top of her. Tubbs indicated to the officers he thought his large dog may have ran past the changing pad, hitting it and causing the pad and the infant to fall to the hardwood floor. Tubbs said the infant was crying and did receive a bump on the forehead from the fall.
On Tuesday, Dec. 4, the police department received a call from a doctor from the Children's Hospital in Oakland reporting, after a complete examination, the infant was found to have two skull fractures along with several bruises about the face and skull. The doctor, a child abuse specialist, told the officers in her opinion the infant had been physically abused, and in no way could the fall from the changing pad have caused the injury as reported by Wilson Tubbs. The doctor then reported the infant currently had no brain functions.
Wednesday, Dec. 5, the department was notified the infant had died from her injuries. This department continued this investigation and then requested assistance from the Mendocino County District Attorney's Office Investigations Unit.
Saturday, Dec. 8, investigators from the District Attorney's Office re-interviewed Wilson Tubbs when he told investigators he did get upset with the infant and reported slapping and shaking the infant in a forceful manor causing the child's injuries.
Today, Monday, Dec. 10, this case was presented to the Mendocino County District Attorney's Office and after their review, a complaint was filed and a warrant was issued for Wilson Tubbs' arrest. At 4:50 p.m., today, Dec. 10, officers located Wilson Tubbs in the 1000 block of Oak Street and he was arrested for the warrant. Tubbs was booked at the Fort Bragg Police Department, and then later transported to Mendocino County Jail where he is being held on $500,000 bail.