Township Man Charged in Child Abuse Case

A 28-year-old township resident has been charged with several counts of child abuse for allegedly injuring his 5-month-old son sometime Friday.

Camden County Prosecutor Warren W. Faulk and Gloucester Township Police Chief W. Harry Earle announced the charges against Richard Pease Monday afternoon.

Pease called 911 around 4:30 p.m. Friday to report his 5-month-old son was non-responsive. He is accused of shaking the child and tossing him on the couch, according to the prosecutor's office.

Pease allegedly told authorities he was home alone with his son and became frustrated by the infant's crying.

The infant has multiple skull fractures and bleeding on the brain, according to the county prosecutor's office. The boy is in critical but stable condition at Cooper University Hospital, in Camden.

Pease is charged with two counts of second-degree aggravated assault and two counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child. He is being held in Camden County Jail on $150,000 bail.