Logan woman pleads not guilty to abusing baby

Cranessa Young, 22, faces one count of child abuse, a second-degree felony and child endangerment, a third-degree felony.

LOGAN — A 22-year-old Logan woman has pleaded not guilty to abusing her roommate’s six-month-old baby after a judge ruled there was sufficient evidence to bind Cranessa Young over for trial. The ruling came after a second day of testimony during a preliminary hearing, Monday afternoon.

Prosecutors, in 1st District Court, showed Judge Brandon Maynard video of Young being interrogated by Logan City Police officer Nathan Argyle, when he began investigating the abuse in March 2014.

The video showed Young at times sobbing and saying, “I don’t think I did that, I can’t believe I did that,” as Argyle explained some of the baby’s injuries. Later though she admitted to being rough with the baby possibly causing fractures to her legs. She also described using a shoe lace, to tie a pacifier into the baby’s mouth, to keep her from crying.

Monday’s hearing had been continued so prosecutors would have time to show the video and allow Argyle time to testify.

During the hearing’s first day last week, two staff members from Primary Children’s Medical Center described how the baby had bruises on her body, open sores and signs of bite marks on her hands and feet. X-rays also showed the baby had several fractures to her legs.

The baby’s mother, 25-year-old Teresa Hard, also testified to seeing Young yank the baby by her legs and force bottles or pacifiers into her mouth.

Hard has already admitted to biting the child’s hands and feet. In November she pleaded guilty but mentally ill to a charge of child abuse, a third-degree felony, and was sentenced to a year in the Cache County Jail.

Judge Maynard ruled there was sufficient evidence to bind Young over for trial. He ordered her to appear again in court April 27.

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