Sumter couple charged after 6-week-old child found with fractures, sheriff’s office says

A Sumter County couple has been charged with child abuse in connection with injuries to a 6-week-old child.

Jeffery Mason Browder, 19, and Tristen Cheyenne Gladden, 22, were arrested Monday and charged with child abuse/to inflict great bodily harm, according to a Sumter County Sheriff’s Office press release.

In the release, the sheriff’s office said that on or about Feb. 3 the couple “placed a child at unreasonable risk of harm that affected the child’s life and safety.”

The sheriff’s office said medical records showed six fractures on the child’s body while in Browder’s and Gladden’s care.

At the time, the couple had legal custody over the child, who has since been removed from their care, the sheriff’s office said.

The state’s Department of Social Service is “providing oversight to ensure the child receives the comfort and care it needs,’’ a press release said.

Browder and Gladden were transported to the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office Detention Center and released on a $10,000 personal recognizance bond.