David Lee Francis
Melissa Darnell Shillings
An Oak Ridge couple accused of being involved in a domestic dispute on Saturday that resulted in a seven-month-old child being kicked in the head with a boot remained jailed Wednesday evening.
David Lee Francis, 38, and Melissa Darnell Shillings, 35, of Wainwright Road, are both charged with aggravated child abuse and domestic assault.
A witness reported that Francis was wearing a boot when he kicked Shillings, his fiancée, in the head, and she was holding the infant in her arms, Oak Ridge Police Department Officer Jeremy Upham reported in arrest warrants filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court.
“This resulted in the infant being kicked in the head also,” Upham said. The baby was taken by ambulance to East Tennessee Children’s Hospital in Knoxville for treatment.
Before she was kicked, Shillings allegedly struck Francis twice while she was holding the child, the warrants said.
Upham said Shillings did not correctly identify herself in an attempt to avoid being arrested on an outstanding warrant in Roane County, and she was also charged with false reporting.
Shillings and Francis have court hearings scheduled for 1 p.m. July 23. Their bonds have been set at $50,000 each, according to jail records.
