Hunter
05/16/23
An Iowa City man was arrested after he allegedly caused injury to two of his children.
The first incident occurred sometime during the afternoon of April 2nd. 45-year-old Michael Crawford allegedly picked up his 4-year-old son by the back of his neck, carried him to another room, and tossed him onto a bed. The child reportedly had immediate pain from the action, which was witnessed by others. Crawford then allegedly got into a shoving match with the child’s mother in front of him.
The second incident involved his two-year-old daughter. Sometime between 7pm April 12th and 7am April 13th, Crawford allegedly hit the child. The injuries were discovered by day care providers, who contacted DHS. Photos taken of the injuries showed the girl had bruising that covered a large portion of her buttocks and extended up her back. Medical personnel said the child’s bruising was consistent with a hand mark.
During followup interviews, Crawford allegedly provided multiple stories as to how his daughter got her injuries. At one point, he reportedly told the child’s mother that he “messed up badly” and didn’t want to go to jail.
A warrant was requested, and Crawford was arrested Sunday morning. He was charged with two counts of Child Endangerment and could be sentenced to up to four years in jail if convicted. A no-contact order was requested.