Brother charged with child abuse after leaving toddler at pond while fishing

SPRINGFIELD – A 17-year-old has been charged with child abuse after leaving his baby brother near a pond while fishing.

Jack Birman was arraigned Monday on charges of third-degree child abuse and faces up to two years in prison if convicted.

Birman was arrested Sunday after his 16-month-old brother was taken to the hospital with signs of drowning, Detective Sgt. Steve Hinkley of the Calhoun County Sheriff Department said Tuesday.

Hinkley said deputies and paramedics were called to the family home in Springfield about 8 p.m. Sunday and the toddler was taken to Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo for treatment, where the child is expected to recover.

Birman walked with his brother from their home at Wyndtree Townhouses to a small pond near Avenue A and Dickman Road, about a mile from their home.

Birmen then went onto the pond in a rowboat to fish, leaving the toddler on shore. When he returned, he found his brother not breathing.

“He said it was consistent with drowning,” Hinkley said.

Birman then carried his brother and ran home, Hinkley said, and the child’s mother called 911.

Birman was arrested Sunday and arraigned in Calhoun County District Court Monday. He was released on a $50,000 personal recognizance bond and is scheduled to return to court on Oct. 22.

Contact Trace Christenson at 269-966-0685 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @TSChristenson