Derek Steven Hoek, 26, of High Ridge has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for abusing his infant son, according to court records.
On Dec. 24, 2015, a Jefferson County detective was called to Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital in St. Louis in reference to a possible child-abuse case, the probable-cause statement said. The detective interviewed the child’s father, Hoek, who said his infant son had rolled off a box spring mattress and fell about 18 inches to a tile and hardware floor, the report said.
The attending doctor informed the detective that the child’s injuries were inconsistent with the fall described, and when the detective returned for a follow-up interview on Dec. 29, Hoek admitted to striking his child on the back of his head approximately six times because of being stressed and having work issues. The child suffered skull fractures and bleeding to the brain along with brain contusions, the statement said.
Hoek pleaded guilty to one count of abuse/neglect of a child, a class B felony, and on Nov. 21, 2016, Jefferson County Div. 3 Circuit Judge Nathan B. Stewart sentenced him to 10 years in prison, the report said.
Hoek started serving his 10-year sentence on Nov. 21, 2016, and currently is at Eastern Reception Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Bonne Terre.
Jefferson County assistant prosecuting attorney Marie Pudlowski handled the case.