Troy man sentenced to prison for shaking, injuring 4-month-old baby

A Troy man who shook and critically injured a 4-month-old in his care in 2019 was sentenced this week to six years in prison in a Miami County court by a judge who called his actions “sickening.”

Roger Meyer, 32, was accused in the Jan. 20, 2019, injury of the infant daughter of his girlfriend in Troy. Police reported an emergency room doctor at Dayton Children’s Hospital said the child had a brain bleed and retinal hemorrhage when initially examined. The child was hospitalized for weeks and then again last summer, prosecutors said.

Troy man accused of shaking, critically injuring 4-month-old daughter

“The court finds your actions against this defenseless child … sickening,” Judge Jeannine Pratt told Meyer in Common Pleas Court.

Meyer in his comments asked to apologize. “I made a big mistake. I never meant to hurt that child,” he said. “She didn’t deserve that.”

The child’s grandmother pointed to the child who was in the courtroom during the hearing.

“It’s been a long road. It is going to be a long road,” she said. “My granddaughter was stolen from me. She was stolen from her life.”

As part of a plea agreement when Meyer pleaded guilty to felonious assault and child endangering in May, a six-year sentence was recommended.

Pratt said the child suffered serious physical and psychological harm. “Your actions will have life-long effects on this child,” she said.

The saying that sometimes the punishment doesn’t fit the crime was particularly true in this case, Pratt said. The law, she said, didn’t allow her to impose the appropriate sentence.

RELATED: 911 calls: Baby in critical condition had ‘stiff’ limbs, trouble breathing

Meyer pleaded to child endangering and felonious assault but could only be sentenced on one of the charges under the law that allowed her to only sentence him on one charge because they offenses came from the same criminal act.

Meyer, who was arrested in January 2019, was given credit for 519 days served in jail. He also was fined $15,000 and ordered to pay court costs.

The case was delayed because of legal proceedings. Meyer was examined in June 2019 and found incapable of understanding the court process, but the doctor who examined him said he could become competent with treatment. Meyer was ordered held for treatment at the Northwest Ohio Psychiatric Hospital following that hearing.

In the fall, he was found competent, capable to understand the nature of the charges and of cooperating with his lawyer in his defense.

About the Author