C-Falls couple face felony child abuse charges

A young couple in Columbia Falls has pleaded not guilty to felony assault on a minor relating to serious injuries to the woman's 16-month-old daughter.

Samantha French, 20, and Nickolas Fox, 19, were arrested Dec. 17, 2011, following a law enforcement investigation based on a report from Kalispell Regional Medical Center.

According to court documents, the infant's biological father, not Fox, picked up the child at French's home that day and initially noticed bruising on the child's face.

French allegedly told the father the bruising was caused by a dog, but the child began vomiting after the father left with her. He then took the infant to the hospital, where she was admitted to intensive care.

Hospital personnel discovered the child had bruises on her face and hand, retinal hemorrhaging in both eyes and a subdurnal hematoma, or bleeding in the brain caused by a traumatic brain injury.

When asked about the bruises, French allegedly told detectives the same story about a dog causing the injuries. Then, according to law enforcement, she began crying and admitted she caused the bruises on the infant's face when she "grabbed her face really hard" after the child refused to take a bottle.

Detectives also obtained an e-mail exchange between French and Fox in which Fox allegedly wrote that he had seen French slap the child in the mouth and "slam her into the crib." In another e-mail, Fox allegedly said he smacked the child and cried afterward because he "felt terrible."

French allegedly told detectives that Fox has anger problems and had punched holes in the walls of their home.

If convicted, the two face up to five years in prison and a $50,000 fine. Their next hearing is scheduled for Feb. 15.