Las Vegas police arrest man after toddler hospitalized

Las Vegas police said they arrested a man early Sunday morning after a child in his care went to a local hospital with potentially life-threatening injuries.

Craig J. Dickens, 34, faces two counts of child abuse with substantial bodily harm in the incident, the Metropolitan Police Department said. Records show Dickens is being held at the Clark County Detention Center on $20,000 bail.

At 2:40 a.m. Sunday, police responded to reports that an 18-month-old had fallen out of bed and suffered serious injuries at Siegel Suites, 3890 Graphic Center Drive, near Tropicana Avenue, Metro spokeswoman Laura Meltzer said. The child was taken to Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center for treatment.

Detectives said Dickens’ explanation did not account for the severity of the child’s injuries, Meltzer said.

The relationship between the 18-month-old child and the man was unclear, but police said Dickens was with the child when the abuse occurred.

Next-door neighbor Traci Silva-Engel said she reported possible abuse to security at Siegel Suites in July after overhearing a child’s “blood-curdling screams.” She banged on the unit’s metal door that night without luck, she said.

On Sunday, she awoke to the sight of police lights in her window. Just outside, she saw medical personnel place the unresponsive child in an ambulance and leave without turning on its siren.

Silva-Engel said she feared the child, a boy, could be dead.

“The baby didn’t even wake up in time to cry,” she said, her voice breaking. “There was no sound. I didn’t hear anything.”

Contact Rachel Hershkovitz at rhershkovitz@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Follow @rzhershkovitz on Twitter.