Father Charged With Gravely Injuring Infant

APPLE VALLEY (AP) -- A father with a lengthy criminal record is charged with inflicting life-threatening injuries on his newborn son in Apple Valley.

Thirty-two-year-old Michael Herkal is charged in Dakota County District Court with first-degree assault and malicious punishment of a child. Herkal is jailed on $750,000 bond.

A criminal complaint says the 13-day-old boy suffered a skull fracture and bleeding on the brain. The complaint says the child is only breathing with assistance and is not expected to survive.

Herkal told police his 2-year-old son pulled the baby off the couch. Authorities say Herkal later told investigators the infant slipped out of his hands and fell on a coffee table.