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Man charged with stuffing baby wipe into baby's mouth

Print Posted by Martin Finucane April 20, 2011 04:48 PM

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By Sean Teehan, Globe Correspondent

A 26-year-old Salem man was ordered held without bail today on charges including attempted murder after he allegedly stuffed a baby wipe into his 7-week-old son's mouth and dropped him to the ground Tuesday night.

Dario Finkel was arraigned but entered no plea in Salem District Court. He did not oppose a restraining order filed by his wife, Jennifer Finkel, 23, that bars him from having any contact with her and their son for one year.

Dario Finkel went into a rage sometime between 7:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. when his son began to cry, Essex Assistant District Attorney Michelle DeCourcey told Judge Michael Lauranzano during the arraignment.

In an effort to stop the infant from crying, Dario Finkel shouted at him to "shut up," and shoved a baby wipe into his mouth, DeCourcey said.

Fearing the wipe would suffocate the baby, Jennifer Finkel removed it and cooked dinner for her husband to calm him down, DeCourcey said.

A few minutes after Dario Finkel finished eating, his son began crying again, making the father "very upset," according to a police report filed in court.

Finkel walked to the couch where the baby lay, held the child in front of him, and dropped him about three feet to the floor, the police report said.

When Jennifer Finkel picked their son up and placed him back on the couch, Dario Finkel picked him up and threw the baby at her from about four feet away, the report said.
She caught the baby.

During the confrontation at an apartment building on Loring Avenue, Finkel also allegedly slapped his wife.

After her husband went to sleep, Jennifer Finkel took her son and left and called police from a neighbor’s apartment.

Responding EMS officials noted a small bruise on the infant's stomach, and his upper lip appeared swollen and bruised, the police report said.

Dario Finkel was arrested in the couple’s apartment for one count of attempted murder, two counts of reckless endangerment of a child, one count of assault and battery with injury on a child under 14, and one count of domestic assault and battery.

Finkel's next scheduled court appearance is an April 27 dangerousness hearing.