SUTTON, W.Va. — A Braxton County man is behind bars charged with the death of a toddler.
West Virginia State Police arrested Samuel Thomas Workman, 33, of Sutton, Tuesday after his three-year-old stepson was found unresponsive and later died at a local hospital.
According to state police, Braxton County 911 received a call from Workman. Emergency crews arrived at the home to find the little boy unconscious and another child, age 1, in the home. The one-year-old was secured by a neighbor and the three-year-old was taken to the hospital.
Court documents indicate Workman was at the home when EMS arrived, but left and later showed up at the local emergency room.
Efforts to revive the youngster at Braxton Memorial Hospital were unsuccessful. Troopers said the boy had multiple bruises and trauma to his entire body. Doctors observed swelling and bruising of the face, chest, head, back, and arms consistent with extreme physical abuse.
State Police Sgt. Bill Huddleston said troopers at the scene observed Workman had fresh wounds, swelling, and redness on both hands particularly on the knuckles and fresh blood and other fluids on his clothing. He was taken to the local State Police detachment for questioning.
“The child had sustained substantial injuries across the majority of the body and the stepfather showed up having wounds on his hands. So that’s where the investigation really began,” Huddelston said.
Huddleston said Workman told troopers he had left his home to smoke marijuana at a neighbor’s home and when he returned the three year old boy was unresponsive.
“He said that he was at the residence and he had spent some time with a friend in the early morning hours, going back and forth from the residence, within the county,” Huddleston said.
In his statement to investigators, Workman claimed he attempted CPR on the child for 20 to 30 minutes before calling 911.
Workman was taken into custody and charged with death of a child as a result of child abuse and child neglect resulting in death. He’s lodged in the Central Regional Jail in Flatwoods on $250,000 bail. Huddleston said Workman initially resisted arrest.
“He didn’t like the way things were going. They weren’t going the way he planned for the day and he became increasingly aggressive and violent and he violently resisted,” Huddleston said.
State police said Workman had prior arrests for domestic assault and battery, drug charges, resisting arrest, and several counts of retaliation against a public employee.
A Go Fund Me page has been established to raise money for the mother to help pay funeral expenses.