On Sept. 9, 2026, Hunter Dalton, 21, pleaded guilty to felonious assault and domestic violence in connection with the Sept. 19, 2025, assault of his infant son.
Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Bill Sperlazza sentenced Dalton to 6-9 years in prison.
This story first published on Sept. 23, 2025.
Whitehall man charged with felony assault after month-old baby son found with brain bleed
A Whitehall man faces felony assault charges after police found his infant son seriously injured while responding to a domestic violence call.
The child's mother called police while hiding under a desk at her apartment complex's leasing office on the 4600 block of East Main Street at about 12:30 p.m. Sept. 19, according to a Whitehall police report.
She told officers with the Whitehall Division of Police that she fled to the leasing office with her dog after
Hunter Dalton, 20, threatened to kill her and their month-old baby, according to the report. Police found Dalton outside the apartment and detained him for questioning.
Related article: Clermont County parents sentenced for infant's death from 'horrific injuries'
Officers then got a key to the couple's apartment from the leasing office and found the infant in his crib barely breathing. Medics transported the boy to Nationwide Children's Hospital, where medical staff found he had suffered brain damage and bleeding in his brain, according to the report.
The mother, who police have not publicly identified, told officers Dalton had also strangled her the previous day, according to the report.
She said Dalton had "anger issues" that had worsened since the baby was born, and had "started getting a lot more physical with her," according to the report. She told police Dalton was "overwhelmed" and would get irritated when the baby cried.
On the morning of Sept. 19, she told police Dalton couldn't find his vape when they woke up, and she refused to help him look because she was caring for the baby, according to the report. She told police he then told her he would kill the baby, her and himself.
Dalton then became angry her dog had chewed up tissue and threw the woman to the ground when she tried to get between him and the dog, according to the report. Dalton also threw a fan, breaking it, and the woman fled to the leasing office, police said.
When her phone connected to the wifi at the Whitehall Division of Police, she found a text from Dalton sent at 12:20 p.m. saying he would kill the baby, according to the report. She told police her phone only worked when connected to wifi, which was why she fled to the leasing office to call 911.
Dalton told police he had simply moved the boy from a bouncy seat to the crib, according to the police report. Police said he admitted to losing his temper about the vape.
Dalton was charged with felonious assault, domestic violence and assault in the Franklin County Municipal Court. As of Sept. 23 he remained imprisoned in the Franklin County Jail.
Whitehall Deputy Chief Shawn Wilson said he did not have an update on the child's condition, "but it is certainly an uphill battle."
"We ask for continued thoughts and prayers as this young child battles for his life as a result of this horrific act," Wilson said in a brief statement.
Public Safety and Breaking News Reporter Bailey Gallion can be reached at bagallion@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Whitehall man sentenced for assaulting infant son, causing brain bleed
