Former Inmate Accused Of Abusing Correction Officer’s Toddler

A former Oklahoma Department of Corrections inmate is accused of abusing the toddler of a corrections officer.

Andrew Young, 26, was arrested Wednesday by Del City police.

In late April, Del City police said they launched a child abuse investigation at a home in the 4000 block of 9th Street.

“The victim’s father had picked his children up from visitation, and while taking them back to the town they live in, the child needed his diaper changed,” Del City Police Department major Bradley Rule said. “As the father was changing the diaper, he noticed some bruising.”

Immediately, the toddler’s father began asking questions.

“Upon talking to his children about it, he found out that the child had been assaulted by his estranged wife, soon to be ex-wife’s new boyfriend,” Rule said.

Young is a familiar name and face to the father. He and Young have had a run-in before at a state prison.

“The father is a correctional officer for the state and the suspect had been incarcerated,” Rule said. “They had actually been at the same prison at the same time. They knew each other and had a previous conflict.”

It’s unclear where Young and the victim’s father had encountered each other.

A spokesperson for the Oklahoma Department of Corrections said Young was initially assigned to the Jess Dunn Correctional Center in Taft before being assigned to the North Fork Correctional Center in Sayre.

“The defendant made the statement during his interview that the correctional officer was the first correctional officer he assaulted while he was in prison,” Rule said.

A physician confirmed the child’s injuries, which weren’t considered serious, did not come from falling down the stairs which Young had originally claimed.

Police said abuse against defenseless children isn’t taken lightly.

“I have one investigator that it is the only thing she does,” Rule said. “We take it serious, and it won’t be tolerated. Any type of abuse.”

It’s unclear if the mother had any involvement in the abuse.

When Young was arrested on a child abuse complaint, officers found a gun on his person which is illegal for a convicted felon.