HARFORD COUNTY, Md. (WBFF) — A Havre de Grace man pleaded guilty to abusing his 12-week-old baby girl, the Office of the State’s Attorney for Harford County announced Friday.
Alex Lawson, 34, pleaded guilty to first-degree child abuse (severe physical injury) and second-degree child abuse on Feb. 27.
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A judge sentenced him to 40 years with all but 22 years suspended. Upon Lawson’s release from the Division of Corrections, he will be placed on five years of supervised probation, officials said.
The victim is now 11-months-old.
On June 24, 2025, deputies with the Harford County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call for service involving a 12-week-old baby girl in cardiac arrest, according to facts presented in support of Lawson’s plea. The baby was taken to Upper Chesapeake Hospital and then flown to Nemours Children’s Hospital for “further lifesaving treatment.”
It was discovered the baby suffered from bilateral subdural hemorrhaging on her brain, bleeding on both sides of her brain, an occipital fracture, a skull fracture, a hemorrhage in her spine and “too numerous retinal hemorrhages to count.” Officials said the medical team identified all the injuries as non-accidental trauma.
The victim was intubated and remained in the hospital until July 11, 2025, where she also suffered seizures due to the trauma she endured by Lawson.
Detective Scurto, who’s assigned to the Child Advocacy Center with the Harford County Sheriff’s Office, conducted an investigation. Officials said the evidence found Lawson abused the victim on several occasions while he was alone with her. The abuse included Lawson violently shaking the baby between his legs, causing her head to forcefully bounce back and forth between his knees, whipping the victim with a swaddling blanket and throwing her onto a pillow, which caused her body to “violently bounce.”
Lawson also picked up his baby by one of her legs and flipped her over before tossing onto the sofa. Officials said he also “pushed and bent her body in half before carrying her.”
The victim now has permanent physical injury due to Lawson’s assaults and abuse, authorities said. The extent of the victim’s injuries is currently unclear.
After the conviction, State’s Attorney Alison M. Healy released the following statement:
There is perhaps nothing more important than protecting our community’s most vulnerable victims, our children. The collaborative efforts of our prosecutors, support staff, and the law enforcement officers in the Harford County Child Advocacy Center are a testament to the commitment, skill, and passion of those who have dedicated their lives to being champions for the children that need it most. It is our hope that this sentence will ensure that this young victim will never be at risk of harm at the hands of this Defendant again.”
Healy expressed her gratitude to Senior Assistant State’s Attorney Christina Cuomo, Senior Assistant State’s Attorney Jason Allen, Detective Scurto and all the Child Advocacy Center staff who fought for justice on behalf of this victim and her family.
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