"Baby John Doe" - 5 Months - Accused: Nathan Cranfield - Albion (South-Central) ID

The only suspect in a case that led to the hospitalization of a 5-month-old boy pleaded not guilty Friday to first-degree assault of a child in Whitman County Superior Court.
The live-in boyfriend of the child's mother, 21-year-old Nathan Cranfield, was arrested shortly after 2 a.m. Monday at an Albion home, where he told deputies he was trying to quiet the baby.

The boy is still in critical condition at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane, where he was life-flighted Monday morning.
The boy was first seen at Pullman Memorial Hospital, where a doctor told Whitman County Sheriff's Deputy Mike Bogenrief the boy suffered from acute subdural hematoma, or when blood fills the brain and compresses brain tissue, according to an arrest document.
The doctor told Bogenrief the injury was caused by trauma to the head, which could be consistent with shaking the baby.
In the arresting document, Bogenrief said Cranfield woke early Monday morning and heard the child crying.
To keep the child from waking his mother, Cranfield said he went into the Albion home's basement. With the baby in his arms, Cranfield said the baby's head hit a door jam. Cranfield then started to cradle the baby in his arms and rocked it back and forth, with a blanket wrapped around the baby's body and head.
Bogenrief asked Cranfield to show him how Cranfield rocked the boy.
"With (the baby) in his arms, Nathan was throwing his arms from side to side at a hard and rapid pace," Bogenrief wrote.
Cranfield said he then threw the baby, still crying, onto a bed to "sort his s--- out."
Cranfield told Bogenrief he then heard the baby burp and saw that the boy was not breathing and called 911.
With the help of a dispatcher, Cranfield tried to resuscitate the child.
Whitman County Prosecuting Attorney Denis Tracy said the case is still under investigation and review.
If found guilty, Cranfield could serve up to life in prison and fined $50,000.
Superior Court Judge David Frazier told Cranfield that this Class A felony is a "strike case," meaning if Cranfield is found guilty of this and two other "strike" charges, he will face life in prison.
Whitman County Sheriff Brett Myers said to his knowledge, Cranfield has no criminal record.
Cranfield's trial is slated for Dec. 13.