Ex-York police officer’s request to see son still denied, child abuse charge remains

Criminal court prosecutors remained steadfast in court Thursday that a former York police officer committed child abuse against his infant son, who was “seriously injured” despite a Family Court judge ruling last month that state agents had not proven abuse in a lower court trial.

Robert Jeffrey “Jeff” Taylor remains barred from seeing his son, Jaxon, while prosecution doctors, who have called the injuries consistent with a shaken baby case, review medical records and transcripts from the Family Court trial.

Taylor, 46, was charged with child abuse resulting in great bodily injury and child neglect in March after his infant son, now 1, was hospitalized Feb. 15 with bruising and what doctors said at the time were brain injuries. The child’s mother, Audrey Schurig, 37, also a former police officer, was charged with neglect.

After the Family Court ruling, Schurig was given custody of Jaxon – but Taylor remains barred from visitation.

Both officers have denied the charges.

Taylor and his lawyer, Jim Boyd, have asked Circuit Court Judge John C. Hayes III to drop all charges after two experts testified in Family Court that there was no shaken baby abuse. Evidence presented by prosecutors at the time of Taylor’s arrest that “seemed overwhelming at the time,” Boyd said, is “just not true.”

Taylor, who did not speak in court Thursday, is “not a dangerous child abuser,” Boyd said, and he should be able to see his son and Schurig.

But prosecutors maintain that there was abuse, regardless of the lower court findings, especially in light of Taylor’s “making excuses” for bruises on the child’s scrotum, foot, back, stomach and leg, 16th Circuit deputy solicitor Willy Thompson said in court Thursday.

Text messages from Schurig to Taylor – who are not married – show Schurig was angry about the bruises and demanded an explanation from Taylor, who had been watching Jaxon, Thompson said.

“This child was severely injured,” Thompson told Judge Hayes, in opposing Taylor’s having any contact with Jaxon until prosecution doctors can review what happened. “We still believe this is an abuse case, without a doubt.”

Within 60 days, Thompson said, prosecutors should be able to say what their experts believe happened to the child, who still exhibits developmental “limitations” from the injuries.

Hayes did grant Taylor’s request to be released from house arrest and GPS monitoring. The judge said he would consider Taylor’s request for supervised visits with Jaxon, and make a ruling soon.

This story was originally published December 17, 2015 at 10:51 AM with the headline "Ex-York police officer’s request to see son still denied, child abuse charge remains."