Horry County parents face child abuse charges involving 6-week-old

The parents of a baby girl, who suffered a broken arm and other injuries, were indicted by an Horry County grand jury on child abuse charges, according to court records.

James Fargis, 29, and Ashley Bonass, 24, both of Little River, were each indicted on a charge of unlawful conduct toward a child stemming from the June 2 incident involving their 6-week-old daughter, according to indictments released Tuesday. Fargis also was indicted on a charge of inflicting great bodily injury upon a child and Bonass was also indicted on allowing infliction of great bodily injury upon a child.

Horry County police were contacted by a Department of Social Services investigator after DSS received a call from Seacoast Medical Center concerning a 5-week-old baby seen the early morning of June 2 in the emergency room for a spiral fracture to her arm, the police report stated.

The DSS investigators looked into the case after an ER physician became concerned about how the child was injured and said that DSS needed to go speak with the parents and check on the child, the report stated.

The DSS investigator also stated that there was a domestic incident at the residence in which Fargis was arrested for criminal domestic violence and the mother of the baby had a black eye.

Police went to the home and Fargis told them that he noticed the baby's arm was hurt after he went to pick her up out of a swing.

He told police the baby's arm may have been caught in the padding in the swing and he did not know it because it was dark in the room.

Bonass said she called the pediatrician who told her to take the baby to the ER, which she and Fargis did at 4:44 a.m. June 2.

The baby was taken into emergency protective custody later that day and DSS took control of the baby, the police report stated.