Accused baby-beating fugitive busted under girlfriend’s kitchen sink

Massachusetts State Police scratched a Top 10 Most Wanted Fugitive wanted off their list early Wednesday after they caught a man accused ofbreaking a baby’s ribs.

The man wanted for beating a 9-month-old girl in Cape Cod was busted in a makeshift hideout made of wood and sheetrock underneath the sink in his girlfriend’s apartment inBelchertown after evading authorities since last year.

State Police Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section and Belchtertown arrested Keith Truehart, 30, at about 5 a.m. He will be arraigned in Belchertown District Court on assault and battery on a child causing substantial bodily injury and witness intimidation.Trueheart was also wanted by Amherst Police for assault and battery and malicious destruction of property charges.

On Nov. 15, 2014, Belchertown Police responded to a report of a 9-month-old baby who was injured in a fall. But when police arrived, they found injuries that were not consistent with a fall, including significant bruising on the child’s forehead and around both eyes.

The child was taken to a nearby trauma center, where medical personnel discovered the child had also suffered two rib fractures. Medical evidence indicated that these injuries were not accidental. Belchertown Police determined that Trueheart had been alone with the child at the time of the injuries and that he had fled prior to police and paramedics arrival.

He skipped town once authorities started investigating the incident. After a lengthy investigation, Truehart was added to the State Police’s Top 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list on June 1.