Houston father accused of shaking 5-month-old child under his care, records state

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A 32-year-old man has been charged with injury to a child pertaining to a shaken baby syndrome case involving a 5-month-old baby, according to records.

David Ricard is currently in jail for the May 22, 2023, case. According to records, the incident was brought to light on June 6, 2023, when an investigator was assigned to the case and learned the young victim had been taken to Texas Children's Hospital by the mother due to having seizure-like activity with the right side twitching and lip-smacking.

Ricard went before a judge on Thursday, where it was learned he had picked up the 5-month-old from day care despite the mother pleading not to because her mom would be doing that while she was out of town. However, Ricard still picked the child up.

The victim's mother said that when she arrived in town and went to pick up her child, she noticed something was off because the child was less active than normal. When the mother confronted Ricard, he stated he did not know, but a month later, he allegedly said he accidentally dropped the baby and he had been scared to tell the truth.

Records state that when an investigating officer spoke with a doctor about the child's injuries and if they were possible with being dropped, the doctor said the injury was only possible from shaken baby syndrome.

According to records, Ricard is currently in jail on a $100,000 bond.