WA National Guardsman charged with breaking 2-month-old Tri-Cities son’s ribs, legs

RICHLAND, Wash. – A Richland stay-at-home father is charged with breaking his 2-month-old son’s ribs and legs in several places.

Michael T. Hubbard, 25, is accused of shaking, squeezing and slamming the baby who wouldn’t stop crying, according to court records.

Hubbard is being held in the Benton County jail on suspicion of three counts of second-degree assault of a child. Bail was set at $500,000.

He is scheduled to enter a plea to the charges on Thursday.

Richland police began investigating Hubband and his wife on April 7 after they brought their baby to the Kadlec Regional Medical Center emergency room.

An ER physician found “numerous fractures” in various stages of healing, including broken ribs and breaks in both of the boy’s legs.

Hubbard had left the military and became a member of the Washington National Guard. He previously lost his job and became a full-time parent for his three children while his wife worked, according to court documents.

The couple shared their home with his wife’s parents and brother.

Hubbard told investigators he has a history of anger issues, and that he had taken anger management courses to deal with them.

He initially told officers that he heard the infant’s ankle break when he was changing his diaper.

But when officers pressed about the number of injuries that appeared to happened over a longer period, he began describing multiple times where the child was crying and he became overwhelmed.

Court documents say he allegedly told officers that he didn’t know what to do, so he reacted violently. That included squeezing the baby, giving the boy a “quick snap” and dropping him forcefully on the changing table.

The couple’s children were placed into protective custody by Child Protective Services after the initial report.