LITCHFIELD, Conn. — Connecticut State Police arrested a man in connection with the abuse of an infant Thursday after the child's mother witnessed abuse on a security camera and rushed home.
Matthew Ruzbasan, 34. was taken to Troop L and charged with Intentional Cruelty to Persons; Risk of Injury to a Child and Reckless Endangerment 1st Degree. Ruzbasan was held on a $100,000 bond and was scheduled to appear at Torrington Superior Court on Friday.
Police were called to the home shortly before noon where they found Ruzbasan standing in the driveway. He told police he had no idea why they were there, but that other people in the home would not speak to him. Troopers also found a distraught woman with an infant in a car in the driveway.
According to police, she was at work but said she had heard the baby crying through the in-house camera system, and upon checking on the well-being of the child, she started a recording. She told police that she suspected Ruzbasan may have been abusing the child.
Police said when she looked at the recording, she saw that Ruzbasan was acting violently towards the infant. She had left work immediately upon realizing what was happening and called State Police while driving back to her home.
The complainant advised that she said nothing to Ruzbasan when she got home, took the infant and waited in her vehicle until Troopers arrived.
Police said the surveillance footage showed Ruzbasan slapping the child's back side, forcibly pushing the child's feet towards their head and violently swinging the child around in the room.
The five-month-old victim was taken to an area hospital for medical treatment and later transferred to a higher level of care. Police said the infant sustained injuries from Ruzbasan's behavior. The Connecticut Department of Children and Families was also advised of this incident.
Doug Stewart is a Senior Digital Content Producer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dstewart@fox61.com.
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