PAXTON STOKES - 3 months - (11/2012) / Charged: Mother and boyfriend Joshua Jay Harding and Brianna Brown - Provo, UT

Mother, boyfriend behind bars for investigation of child abuse death

Published: Thursday, Oct. 3 2013 11:05 a.m. MDT
Updated: Thursday, Oct. 3 2013 9:06 p.m. MDT



Utah County Jail

Joshua Jay Harding, 30, of Pleasant Grove, has been arrested for
investigation of child abuse homicide in the Nov. 27, 2012,
death of his girlfriend's 3-month-old son, Paxton Stokes.

PROVO — Police have arrested the mother of a 3-month-old baby and her boyfriend for investigation of alleged child abuse that killed the infant last November.

Provo detectives arrested Brianna Brown, 32, on Thursday and Joshua Jay Harding, 30, on Wednesday for investigation of child abuse homicide and booked them into the Utah County Jail.

On Nov. 27, 2012, officers responded to 1074 W. 860 North to investigate a baby who was not breathing. The baby boy, Paxton Stokes, was taken to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

"After a very thorough investigation, which included an autopsy," investigators determined that the baby died from a closed-head injury and arrested Harding, Provo Police Lt. Mathew Siufanua said Thursday.

A medical examiner determined that Paxton had suffered "non-accidental injuries consistent with child abuse," an arrest warrant filed in July states. In addition to head and brain injuries, the child also had a bruise on his forehead, bruises and abrasions on his lower face and neck, red spots in his eye, bruises on his leg and hip and abnormalities "suggestive of resolving fractures," the warrant states.

The injuries to Paxton's head were caused by "an extreme amount of force" from being hit or objects hitting him, according a probable cause statement filed at the time of Brown's arrest.

Brown and Harding were the only adults who were with Paxton during the time frame that he sustained the injuries that killed him, a jail report states.

Brown told police she never hurt her baby and didn't see or hear anyone else abuse him, "despite the numerous bruises and other obvious indications that the child was being abused," the report states.

Brown said the bruising and abrasions to Paxton's neck occurred when he was being cleaned under the chin with a washcloth, but the injuries were inconsistent with a cleaning, police said. Investigators believe Brown either injured the baby or allowed someone else to.

Harding was charged in July with child abuse homicide, a first-degree felony, but prosecutors asked a judge to drop that charge the next day. According to Siufanua, they decided they did not have enough information to proceed.

Harding told officers he had been in bed with the baby that morning. He said the baby started crying when he changed his diaper and after he laid him down in the bassinet but said he eventually stopped crying, the warrant states. After the boy's mother returned home, Harding asked the mother to get him and she discovered that the baby was unresponsive.

In another police interview, Harding denied shaking Paxton but said the baby "was crying and very angry" and had soiled his blanket and clothing, detectives wrote.


http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865587575/Man-arrested-for-2nd-time-in-connection-with-Provo-babys-death.html

Glad they arrested the mother.  That needs to be done in almost all of these cases.

Another POS woman.  Another POS man.  Another dead baby.

Mother of slain 3-month-old gets bail

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Paxton Stokes.

20 hours ago

PROVO -- The mother of a 3-month-old who was killed in November has had her bail requirements changed to bondable bail, making it easier for Brown to make bail.

Brianna Brown is accused of child abuse homicide and child abuse in the death of her son, Paxton Stokes. The baby died Nov. 27 after an emergency call from a Provo home regarding a baby not breathing. He was pronounced dead shortly after his arrival at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center.

Brown and her boyfriend, Joshua Harding, both face charges of child abuse homicide. Brown had been given the chance of bail at $100,000 cash only, which put it out of her reach.

Brown has lived in Utah County her whole life and has been available at all times for court appearances and questioning since the investigation began in November.

She has no criminal record, her attorney, Dana Facemyer, said.

"The family cannot assist in a cash-only bail, but can for a bond," he said.

With the change to a bondable bail, her family has to come up with only $10,000 of the $100,000 charge.

Prosecutor Sherry Ragan brought up the concern that she has had some kind of contact with codefendant Harding, which had been disallowed. She said Harding was aware of some things that he could not have been unless he heard it from Brown or someone in touch with her. The terms of the bail indicate that she may not have any such contact, either directly or indirectly.

Ragan said Brown has been on methadone and her children have been removed from her custody. She has also violated a protective order, she said.

"She hid the fact that they had phones and were talking to each other," she said. "She does not follow the court's orders. Mr. Harding has knowledge that he wouldn't otherwise have. She has clearly been in contact."

The fact that the children have been removed from her custody actually worked in her favor.

"There is no risk to the children if she makes the bail," Judge Steven Hansen said.

No changes were made to Harding's situation.

http://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/mother-of-murdered--month-old-gets-bail/article_2b3a1faa-de2d-5ea8-a3dc-94d18b7f07a3.html