John Cox
MILWAUKEE -- John Cox of Wauwatosa pleaded not guilty on Tuesday, Feb. 18 to a charge of felony physical abuse of a child. Cox is identified in the criminal complaint as a former emergency room physician with Children's Wisconsin.
In court on Tuesday, Cox's defense team filed a motion to dismiss the case. But it was denied -- and the court found probable cause to hold Cox over for trial.
The allegations
According to the criminal complaint, Cox brought his 1-month-old foster child to a doctor on May 9, 2019, because the child "was exhibiting decreased use of the left arm" and "was concerned that he fractured (the child's) left clavicle while co-sleeping." The complaint says Cox detailed what he believed happened to the child. He indicated he put the child in bed with him and fell asleep. The complaint says Cox awoke to the baby's cries and "noticed that part of his body was on top of (the child) and applying pressure to (the child's) left shoulder." Cox told doctors he quickly rose, soothed the child and noticed the child was not using the left arm.
Upon examination, the complaint says a doctor "noticed bruising on each of (the child's) arms that appeared consistent with the skin being 'pinched.' There was also a bruise on the lower right back." The doctor raised "a concern for abuse."
Later on May 9, 2019, a board-certified child abuse pediatrician conducted an interview with Cox, the complaint says. This doctor "did not perform a full child abuse consultation out of concerns about perceptions of bias." Instead, the matter was referred to a nurse practitioner with specialized training and experience in the evaluation and diagnosis of suspected child abuse.
On May 10, 2019, the nurse practitioner conducted a physical abuse evaluation on the child, the complaint says. She noticed the infant had "numerous bruises and multiple different planes of the body that are not consistent with the medical history provided by the defendant."
Later in May 2019, the complaint says "follow-up imaging studies were conducted" on the infant. Those studies revealed the child did "sustain a fractured left clavicle. The presence of healing (new bone formation) on the second imaging study is consistent with the fracture being inflicted on or around May 9, 2019."
According to the criminal complaint, a doctor was hired by the Department of Milwaukee Child Protective Services to "conduct a full review of the infant's medical records in order to determine whether the cause of (the child's) injuries were consistent with the explanations offered by the defendant." This doctor indicated in the complaint that the bruises the child had "would not be expected in the normal care and handling of an infant." She also indicated "there is no evidence of underlying bone disease." In summary, the doctor indicated the following:
Children's Wisconsin
Statement from Children’s Wisconsin and the Medical College of Wisconsin
If convicted, Cox faces up to six years in prison and $10,000 in fines. Cox is due back in court on March 4.