Child suffers severe eye damage, placed on life support, Clay County warrant says

A man with a Glen St. Mary P.O. Box address is in the Clay County Jail on $250,000 bond after a child was found with severe injuries, including severe brain bleeding and eye damage.

Elick Griffis, 31, is charged with aggravated child abuse and was taken into custody on Oct. 29. The injuries occurred in February, his Clay County Sheriff's arrest report said.

Griffis is employed in Macclenny but was arrested in Orange Park without incident on Monday, the report said.

On. Feb. 3, deputies were dispatched to an unnamed location in response to a child in medical distress for "unknown reasons." The child was unresponsive and gasping for air, the report said and was transported to a nearby hospital.

The report said that "preliminary evaluations revealed a severe brain bleed with swelling and seizure activity, as well as severe eye damage, which appear to be the result of trauma. Injuries required emergency life support care, including surgery."

The injuries resulted in permanent disability, a Clay County Sheriff's Office detective noted in the arrest report.

Arrest records show that Griffis was sentenced to two years in prison in 2015 on burglary and theft charges. His release date is listed as April 2016.

Cox Media Group