Defendant Tyrell Abney during a brief break in court proceedings at the Justice Center Wednesday afternoon. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com

By Carol A. Clark

During a preliminary hearing Wednesday in Magistrate Court, Judge Pat Casados found probable cause that Tyrell Abney of Los Alamos commited the crime of child abuse in the first degree last month against his infant son.

Abney, 18, faces a mandatory 18 years in prison if convicted.

It came out during the hearing that although originally reported to be 11 weeks old when the alleged abuse occurred May 16 at the family’s Gold Street apartment, the infant was actually eight weeks old at the time.

“He is a leap year baby,” said the infant’s mother Nicole Allison. “His name is Riley Bernard Abney … Bernard is a family name … he was born Feb. 29 and weighed 5 pounds, 10 ounces and was 19 inches long.”

Details of Wednesday’s trial including testimony from an expert witness, conditions of Abney’s release pending trial, and a conversation with the infant’s mother will follow in the Los Alamos Daily Post later today.