A local corrections officer is behind bars after state police say he admitted to assaulting his 6-week-old daughter, leaving her with severe brain injuries.
According to the criminal complaint, Jakob Hankey, an Armstrong County Jail corrections officer, initially called 911 on June 19, reporting that his daughter had slipped from his arms.
The infant, Khloe Mae Hankey, was flown to UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, where doctors determined her injuries were highly concerning for physical abuse, according to investigators.
The criminal complaint says an emergency room physician told police the baby’s skull fractures and brain bleed were inconsistent with the explanation Hankey initially provided, which was he tripped over the family dog and his daughter struck her head on a changing table.
State police later interviewed Hankey at the hospital. According to the complaint, he admitted that after the baby continued crying, he squeezed her, dropped her and then struck her in the head twice while she was on a changing table before calling 911.
Hankey is charged with felony aggravated assault and other related offenses. Court records show he is being held in the Indiana County Jail.
The baby’s aunt, Mackenzie Processor, said Khloe recently came out of a medically induced coma after 17 days.
“The prognosis is heartbreaking,” Processor said.
She said doctors have told the family the infant has permanent damage to the side of her brain and that it is too early to know the full extent of her long-term disabilities.
“There’s a chance she may never talk, may never walk,” Processor said. “They can’t confirm as of now if she’s blind.”
Processor said Khloe had been home alone with her father after her mother returned to work following maternity leave.
The family is now praying for the baby’s recovery while the criminal case moves forward.
The warden of the Armstrong County Jail confirmed to Channel 11 that Hankey has been suspended without pay from his job as a corrections officer.
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