Sarasota man charged after doctors doubt explanation of infant’s broken leg

A 27-year-old Sarasota man has been charged with aggravated child abuse after detectives say the 2-month-old he was taking care of suffered a broken leg.

On Wednesday, Zachary Wierzba turned himself in to detectives with the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office. He was arrested and charged with aggravated child abuse.

He was released later the same day from the Sarasota County jail on a $25,000 bond, according to jail records.

On Oct. 3, detectives were called to Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg to investigate the suspicious circumstances surrounding the 2-month-old’s fractured femur, according to an arrest report. Wierzba had taken the infant to Sarasota Memorial Hospital after being injured while in his sole care the day before.

Wierzba’s statements had been inconsistent with the baby’s injuries, according to doctors, so the suspected child abuse was reported to the Florida Department of Children and Families. He later admitted to detectives that the infant had been in his sole care when the injury occurred.

It had been the sixth time that the infant had been left in Wierzba’s care, authorities said.

A doctor with the Child Protection Team of St. Petersburg examined the infant and determined that the injury was the result of abuse, according to the arrest report. Wierzba’s explanation “appeared implausible and inconsistent,” the doctor found. The infant’s injury had to be the result of “a very high force episode of trauma including torque or twisting of the femur.”

This story was originally published October 18, 2017 at 10:02 PM with the headline "Sarasota man charged after doctors doubt explanation of infant’s broken leg."