Florence man charged with child abuse after ‘bruises’, ‘dried blood’ found on baby: report

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FLORENCE, Ala. (WHNT) – A Florence man has been charged with multiple counts after court records said a baby in his care was found with multiple bruises and dried blood on his ear.

Evan Blake Folsom, 27, was arrested in December 2021 after court records say a traffic stop led to the discovery of narcotics and a baby who may have been abused.

On December 123, 2021, a Tuscumbia Police Department officer stopped a vehicle near the intersection of Highway 72 and Woodmont Drive for a traffic violation. The driver, later identified as Folsom, was found to have active arrest warrants in Tuscumbia and Lauderdale County.

The officer placed the handcuffs on Folsom and reported in court documents that he found a glass pipe in Folsom’s pocket before asking if there was anything else illegal in the vehicle, to which Folsom reportedly said there was meth.

While searching the vehicle, the police officer found the baby. He described in court records that “the child had bruises on his face and neck and dried blood in one of his ears.”

From there, the child was placed in the custody of the Colbert County Human Resources Department.

The officer also reported finding a plastic bag containing a “clear crystalline substance” which later tested positive for methamphetamine. A plastic binder containing marijuana was also reportedly found in the vehicle.

Folsom was questioned on December 14, where court documents show he told detectives he was unaware of any abuse, saying the child’s injuries resulted from a fall from his crib which she had tried to get out.

On December 15, DHR sent photos of the child’s injuries to investigators. In their report, investigators said those injuries were not consistent with falling from a crib, saying bruises were extensive and in various stages of healing all over her body.

One of those bruises “had a shape that clearly described a handprint,” the detective said.

In a subsequent interview, detectives said Folsom stood by his story of a fall from the crib and was “unaware” of any other injuries, adding that he “didn’t notice” the handprint.

Court records say he was unable to provide an explanation for the other bruises all over the child’s body.

Folsom was released from jail on $30,000 bond. A Colbert County grand jury returned the indictment against him on March 10, 2023.

According to recent court documents, Folsom is scheduled to be arraigned on April 25, 2023 at the Colbert County Courthouse under Judge Kyle Brown.