San Angelo Man Arrested After Brutal Episode That Injured an Infant

SAN ANGELO – A San Angelo man has been arrested for allegedly causing serious bodily injury to a child after shaking and throwing a baby.

According to police reports, investigators were contacted by a Sergeant with the San Angelo Police Department regarding an injured 3-month-old child. While in the care of the defendant, identified as Samuel Jeter, the infant sustained numerous injuries including contusions on the forehead and was receiving lifesaving emergency care.

Investigators spoke with a doctor who said the infant had acute and non-acute brain injuries and bruising around the child’s left eye. The doctor also stated that the child had fluid on the front part of the brain and was intubated with mechanical breathing. It was advised the child would need specialized care at Dell Children’ Hospital in Austin, Texas.

The investigator interviewed two witnesses, one who said she left the child with Jeter on August 17, 2022, at a residence in the 2900 block of J.F.K. Drive in San Angelo. When the woman returned to pick the child up, she noticed red marks near the child’s left eye and that the infant was having trouble breathing and was unresponsive. The woman took the child to Shannon Medical Center.

In an interview with Jeter, he stated the 3-month-old child started screaming and he became frustrated. He held the child by the torso, shook it, and told the child to stop crying. Jeter’s frustration continued and he dropped the child onto a bed and the infant flopped backwards. He then allegedly said he threw the child about a foot in the air twice, catching the infant once.

The second time, the infant fell into Jeter’s face and the infant’s head impacted his nose. Jeter described feeling pain in his nose from this. He when explained within minutes of the young child being shaken and thrown around, the infant had trouble breathing and was not responsive.

Jeter said he was not trying to shake the baby because he had read it was bad for the child and he acknowledged he knew it was dangerous.

Jeter was arrested on Friday, Sept. 2, 2022, and charged with injury to a child causing serious bodily injury. He has a $150,000 bond and is currently an inmate at the Tom Green County Detention Facility.