Texarkana man accused of submerging baby’s hand in boiling water

Christian Marquis Coleman, 38, was allegedly babysitting the child and her 2-year-old sister Aug. 4, when the baby suffered serious second degree burns to her right hand in a unit of the Woodlands Apartments on College Drive in Texarkana, Texas, according to a probable cause affidavit. Coleman allegedly told investigators the child was crawling at his feet at about 9 p.m. when he pulled a pan of boiling hotdogs from the stove and splashed the youngster’s right hand.

But a doctor at Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas who reviewed photos of the baby’s burns told investigators the injuries were more likely caused by submersion in boiling water, not splashing.

“Dr. Cox also noted that the victim’s fingers were burned evenly all the way around and not consistent with a splash/spill burn,” the affidavit states. “The victim’s fingers were burned on the front, sides and the back of her hand which is consistent with submersion.”

Coleman’s indictment charges him with injury to a child, a second degree felony punishable by two to 20 years in prison. The case has been assigned to 202nd District Judge Leon Pesek, Jr.