A city man is behind bars after allegedly fracturing a 5-month-old baby’s leg while changing their diaper.

Deven Shameree Boykin, 25, was arraigned Friday by Magisterial District Judge Daniel C. DeAntonio on single felony counts of aggravated assault – victim less than 13, aggravated assault – victim less than six and endangering the welfare of children, as well as single misdemeanor counts of recklessly endangering another person and simple assault. He was remanded to the Blair County Prison in lieu of $40,000 bail.

According to the affidavit of probable cause, Boykin woke up in the early morning hours of April 18 to the victim crying. After changing the victim’s diaper in the bathroom, the victim continued to cry and be fussy, especially when their leg was moved. Boykin and the victim’s mother decided to have the victim checked out for leg pain at UPMC Altoona, where doctors discovered a fracture to the victim’s left femur.

Boykin and the victim’s mother denied knowing anything that could have caused the fracture and confirmed they were the only two in contact with the victim. The victim was then transferred to the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, where Boykin told medical staff that the victim began to cry harder and he could not get them to calm down or go back to sleep after changing their diaper, the police report states.

Altoona police visited Boykin and the victim’s mother at their residence along the 300 block of East Walton Avenue. Officers reported that the victim’s crib had mesh siding and that there was nothing present in the home that could have trapped the victim’s leg.

Medical records obtained by officers stated that, based on Boykin’s timeline, the fracture likely occurred during the victim’s diaper change. Doctors noted that “normal childcare does not cause a fracture” and the injury was “highly concerning for physical abuse,” the report states.

In an interview on April 26, Boykin denied harming the victim. Boykin said he was the only one who got up to tend to the victim as he wanted the victim’s mother to sleep. Boykin confirmed that after caring for the victim, the infant would not go back to sleep and continued to be fussy, preventing him from going back to sleep, according to the affidavit.

Using a doll, Boykin showed officers how he changed the victim’s diaper. He explained that the victim stretched their legs when being changed, so he grabs the victim’s feet and pushes them toward their torso to get them to bend, allowing him to fasten their diaper. He told officers he changed the victim’s diapers in the same way as the victim’s mother, the report states.

On April 29, officers conducted a call with Blair County Children and Youth and the victim’s doctor in Pittsburgh. During the call, the victim’s doctor said the fracture would have been caused by pushing and that the injury is typically seen in people who fall out of windows. The doctor confirmed that a substantial amount of force would be needed to cause the fracture and would not occur in routine child care, the report states.

Officers received an additional report on May 7 from the Children’s Hospital after a follow-up appointment on May 5. The appointment was conducted by a different doctor, who agreed with the first doctor’s findings that the injury “is concerning for inflicted trauma” and that “a thorough evaluation of his caregiving environment is warranted,” the report stated.

In a separate interview, the victim’s mother said it was Boykin who woke up with the victim and that the victim remained fussy after having their diaper changed. She demonstrated for officers how she changed the victim’s diaper, which differed from Boykin, according to the affidavit.

Boykin is scheduled for a preliminary hearing June 24 in front of DeAntonio.